The Fault in our Leap
by satan-chillin
Summary: A week after the Chitauri Invasion, a wormhole appeared in New Mexico. Though instead of some monstrous-looking aliens, seven children emerged instead. Seven superpowered children. Director Fury wasn't happy.
1. The Impression That I Get

Chapter title is from the same song title by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Unbeta-ed. Enjoy the read!

* * *

**Five**

When the portal had successfully taken the six of them moments before a piece of the moon crashed on their location, he felt the familiar rush of his power, except this time it kept on expanding and expanding to accommodate them all. His eyes remained close, focusing on the given time frame he has in mind.

2002\. They had to go back seventeen years ago, before his disappearance, before Ben's death, when they were under Reginald's care. There was no need for the training, of course, but they do need to confront their adoptive father concerning Vanya. He wouldn't trust Reginald with Vanya's lessons on control, because that did so well for them and the Earth. But Five wasn't there last time, and that made a huge difference. No, they would take matters in their own hands this time with his lead, seeing as they weren't completely useless under the right guidance and command.

The mansion had already taken form in his mind's eye, with lesser peeling wallpapers, less dusty furniture, and an atmosphere that wasn't _home_, per se, but made it felt lived-in. Grace was in the kitchen, Pogo tending the garden, Reginald in his study, and the seven of them minding their own businesses behind the closed-doors of their respective bedrooms. It wasn't a rare occasion but more of a routine that he remembered having to stomach for more than a decade.

All of a sudden, pain sliced through him like a hot knife, making him hyperaware of the surrounding space pressing against him on all sides, suffocating him, them. He was pushing past his limit now, given that time traveling should only feel like a breeze, the whole ordeal much quicker when he had done it alone. This one seemed to drag for too long, as if with the intent of tearing him limb by limb.

He felt the hands holding on both of his squeezing tighter, holding on for life or afraid that he might be separated. His own hands gripped them back with equal strength, and while he had forgotten which was which hand-in-hand, he wouldn't let go of anyone.

Because while it was much easier to do this by himself, the knowledge that he wouldn't be by his own anymore no matter what timeline they landed was comforting.

For what seemed like forever, the distant noise of thunder cracked. There was the sensation of falling until he met the ground. His hiss of pain was overpowered by the collective groans of his siblings from their ungraceful landing. A few distance away from him, he heard Klaus sputtering out sand from his mouth.

Sand. A fucking sand.

There was no nearby sound of the crashing waves, or any body of water for that matter. Instead, there were guns aimed at them by a handful of men and women in suits. He couldn't recognize any of their uncovered faces, but they definitely smelled like the Temps Commission.

He counted at least twenty armed men, and judging by their much advanced tech, this was a different branch of the Commission. He did hear before about them dealing with integration of technology from an assortment of centuries forward and backward.

"We'll appreciate it if you could put your hands behind your back and make no step further. This could go down peacefully, young gentlemen and ladies," said a calm voice, clearly a man with authority.

Luther pulled him by his shoulder, placing himself in front of his siblings. Vanya, who remained unconscious, was now carried by Diego. Luther might no longer have his huge body to shield them, but he did make sure that they were a tight-knit group.

"We meant you no harm," Luther said. Immediately, he was taken aback by his own young voice until he cleared his throat, trying to sound like he was speaking for them. "Our sister needs medical attention, so let us be on our way."

Five almost wanted to smack him. Idiot. But then again, Luther's decisions were dumb at most since he tried to take the mantle of the leader.

Not a chance with Five.

"Can I speak to your superior?" Five stepped up, letting his volume carry to the man who spoke earlier. "I believe he has questions for us that he would like to be answered."

The armed men exchanged glances, eyes flitting to the woman who made a gesture. There was a chuckle from the back, and two men emerged.

Both higher-ups, alright, but Five was guessing that the black man with an eyepatch preceded the shorter man with a receding hairline and austere face.

"So, boy," the man with eyepatch began. "Or are you really a boy or is that how you and your kind appear from where you came from?"

Five frowned. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

An eyebrow rose before his expression morphed into no nonsense. "Look, you are not fooling anyone here. I don't know what's with you aliens that you have a thing for Earth, but either you prove yourselves that you're not a threat like Thor or you're invaders like the Chitauri."

Five had no idea what that string of sentences meant. Mentions of Thor and this Chitauri never came up from during his employment at the Commission; aliens, once or twice, maybe. If these people were not the Commission, who could they be?

The uniform these armed men wore has the logo of a bird with spread wings. Five was certain that he hadn't seen the insignia before even on the previous timeline. Was this some sort of secret organization that he hasn't heard of? If so why wasn't the Commission aware of this?

The man's single eye found his companions. "Are the seven of you siblings?"

_Seven_—Five glanced and found Ben among them. He wasn't expecting to negate Ben's death, but his abilities might prove useful for them.

"No. Not by blood, at least," Five replied. Since Luther had already admitted their connection, there was no use hiding it. "We escaped from the Temps Commission and found ourselves here."

The other man accompanying this one with eyepatch tapped something on the tablet he was carrying.

"Through a wormhole."

"Yes." The ball was on their court now. "Is it safe to assume that this is a common occurrence here?"

"Surprisingly, yes. You'll have to pardon us for assuming that the next wormhole to open won't be bringing us an ally. We were lucky with the first, but not so much with the next." The man's eye found itself again on Five, not giving anything away. "This Temps Commission that you're speaking of, what are they?"

"Kind of what your organization does."

"What do you think we do?"

"Eliminate threats."

The man looked vaguely impressed. "True. So are you?"

"No." Not yet, anyway. Vanya could be if they didn't manage to fix her in time.

"The fact that you're being chased by something like us says otherwise."

"It is mainly my fault," Five said. "I uncovered a corruption, but they're too big a system to bring down by someone like me. It backfired at my face, and my family has gotten involved."

"And where do you plan to retreat?"

"What is the exact date?" Five asked back.

The man considered them for a moment, no hint of surprise from the sudden question. "May 12, 2012."

"What?" Five said before he could stop himself.

No, no, no, no. That can't be! His calculations were correct, he made sure of it! The location might not be exactly in the mansion, but they should be in 2002 at this very moment. It should be seventeen years back, not seven years! Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck_.

"I don't really care if you find the date unsatisfactory," the man said dryly. "But the seven of you will have to come with us."

"No!" Five spat, his sudden agitation caused the armed men to be in higher alert. "We're not fucking supposed to be here!"

"Boy, I don't give a motherfucking shit where you should be. You're trespassing on Earth, and that's an offense we don't take lightly." He gestured to the same woman before. "Agent Hill, have them detained."

Several things happened at once.

Five dislocated the knees and shoulder of the man who tried to grab him. He jumped, appearing behind another person, a woman this time, and disarmed her in two moves. Five wasn't about to try his luck using the firearms they were carrying, but he could use the knives he fished from the previous two.

His siblings weren't idle the moment the fight began. Diego left Vanya to Allison's care while he threw what was left of his blades. Their mark found the arms and legs of at least three. Luther took ahold of a foot of one of the men and threw him against another two.

Klaus and Ben were huddled together, the latter merely standing as he took in the scene like an outsider. He had probably forgotten that he was no longer a ghost. They could really use his creatures now. Klaus head-butted someone and then promptly raised his hands high in complete surrender when he came face-to-face with three guns. Pathetic.

Five had already made a clear line for the man with eyepatch. His mistake was that he didn't go after him right at the very beginning. Though while he was obviously the head, he wasn't treated as a vulnerability. Either he was easily replaceable like The Handler said she was, or he wasn't helpless in combat.

Five was preparing for another jump through the warping space when it threw him a step back like a rubber seal. Shit. He tried again, only to be thrown back with more force.

He stopped and stood straighter. The fight seemingly stopped at the same time he did. It only occurred to Five that not once did he hear any bullets flew, the fight too easy. The man with eyepatch was in no hurry to flee as well, eyeing him critically while the quiet man beside him continued to tap away on his tablet.

They've been played, and Five foolishly showed their capabilities to these people they had no clue about and was clearly way smarter than the Temps Commission.

Five could hear an oncoming chopper. The rush of adrenaline was drumming in his ear along with the rotor of the chopper as it flew overhead. A man could be seen with a bow and arrow trained on Five.

It wasn't long when another flew to the scene. It definitely wasn't a chopper, but rather a… a man.

A man in a red metal suit, to be precise.

_"Stand down, kids. You don't want old Nicky mad."_

Great. More men—one as if he came out of some sci-fi comics—and Five's jumps at their limit. Just great.

The winds swept harder, sending more sand on Five's eyes. If he was to guess the time, it must be high noon. His clothes were in a swelter and itchy with sand that managed to find their way underneath. It was beginning to be the worst day of his life, and that was saying something considering the fact that they escaped from the apocalypse.

Five squared his shoulders and tried another jump. He refused to go down, goddammit!

_"Kid, seriously, you don't want—oh damn."_

Gravity pressed down on him as the world spun dizzyingly, his vision darkening in an alarming rate.

_Ah, shit._

* * *

**Tony**

"Five!"

The tallest kid in the bunch ran towards the boy who dropped unconscious. Who the hell names their kid 'Five'?

Tony could count seven of them, two girls and five boys. One of the girls was out cold, probably for a while now.

"You're late."

Tony tutted. "You're just early."

"Can't be too early in this matter," Fury said, not having any of Tony's bullshit, as always. "When we arrived, the wormhole has already manifested. As I recall, we placed a call on your direct line ten minutes earlier."

"Fine. I'm fashionably late."

Not that Fury had to know that the very mention of wormhole was enough to send his insides churning with dread, nor did he have to know that Tony was lucky to get two hours of sleep at best since the aftermath of Loki's invasion a week ago. And when he slept he could see the same fleet of Chitauri that he had seen lying in wait, except they were on their way to Earth after deciding they had bidden enough time, carrying with them ten times the number Loki had.

Tony had never felt this insignificant against the vastness of the universe. And for once in his life, he felt like a speck of dirt. He might be part of The Avengers, Earth's mightiest heroes, the front line of defense against these extraterrestrials they were yet to discover; they were the big guys, but what was the six of them compared to a mothership full of aliens far advanced than them? If one of them falls, what then?

The six of them would never be enough.

"Stark. Are you listening?"

"Yeah? Cool, whatever you say." From his position, he could see the kids being herded in a line towards the jet that touched down minutes ago. "Where are you bringing them?" He shrugged. "Pretend that I didn't listen."

"They'll be put in a secluded facility S.H.I.E.L.D. owned. If they're not here to invade us, we might as well put their abilities to good use."

"Abilities?"

"While only three of them displayed some kind of superpowers, I'm not going to assume the other four don't have one."

"Now hold up a minute. You're going to imprison these kids?" Tony's attention returned to the unknown children, catching the last one on the line with cuffs on hand.

Fury's jaw tightened. "If you've had come earlier, you would have seen that they're not normal kids. I'm not even sure they're human after coming from a wormhole. You should have seen the one they call Five. There's no way a kid can bring down seven of my agents. And don't get me started on how he can seemingly appear out if nowhere."

"Obviously, you ordered your men not to fight back, else at least one has a bullet or two in them." Tony pointed out. "No. They're children with powers, but still children."

"They could be aliens under a guise, Stark, or beings like Thor and Loki who appeared every bit human until they entered combat."

Tony wouldn't deny the point, but he would since it came from Fury. And while Tony wasn't particularly fond of children, the thought of seven young ones being subjected to… whatever S.H.I.E.L.D. has in store for them didn't sit well with him.

"No. You're not doing anything with those kids."

Fury might be used to his defiance, but that never made him tolerant of his attitude. Tony could sense the bubbling anger there, though it surprised him when Fury calmly asked, "You have a more brilliant idea in mind?"

Tony could feel—no, he _knew_, he knew it was going to bite him in the ass later for even bringing it up. But to hell with it! To hell with Fury and his band of agents, to hell with his nightmares and sleep deprivation. He needed something to distract himself or else he would go mad.

"I might have a thing or two."

* * *

**TBC**


	2. One Way Or Another

Chapter title is from the same song title by Blondie

Unbeta-ed. Enjoy!

* * *

**Fury**

"Bring them to me. If the Avengers Tower can house even the Hulk, there's no problem with seven kids."

"That is a very brilliant idea indeed. Remind why I haven't done that yet? Oh, yeah, because I can't do that!" Typical Stark. He was too used to lugging around his huge ego that he thought nothing was heavier and bigger for him to handle. "You came in late here and demanding that I hand you these children in a silver platter. Why, because you pity some aliens who look like kids? Too bad for them, we're not too sweet on their kind these days."

"Bold of you to assume that only aliens can come from wormholes."

"Enlighten me what else could come out of that."

"Marty McFly?" Stark suggested, shrugging. "Look, I'm just saying that I can supervise them. Maybe. That's better than dissecting them, no? And, hey, I'll take their chubby faces than the Chitauri any time. Well, except Thor. He's a god through and through. No homo."

Fury has no time for this bullshit. "Unlike you, we don't have the privilege to play house, Stark. You of all people should know that this a different matter altogether."

"What will seven kids do, force us to kneel? That was Loki's kink," Stark reasoned. "You have an island with a school full of special kids and a guy in wheelchair who can read minds. You're keeping an eye on them, but you never once interfered. Why can't you consider these children like those mutants?"

Motherfucker. Of course Stark had read those. The cyber protection division would be hearing again from him, and it wouldn't be pleasant.

"By that line of logic, shouldn't I just ship them to that school then?"

"I'm sure the Prof has enough on his plate."

"So do we!" Fury growled. "And you even have the audacity to suggest that I transfer them to your hands. What makes you think that you can do better? If I'm going to place them on someone, you sure as hell not my first choice."

Fury caught the brief flicker in Stark's face. It was gone as quickly as it came. Good. His point hit exactly where he intended it to be.

"Now if there's nothing else—"

"Where's Cap?" Stark suddenly asked.

What was Stark's angle now? "On a mission."

"On a mission to figure out the modern appliances, I bet. You could have called him here, and since Cap's never been away on your good graces, you won't care if he's an hour late—no, you purposely don't want him here. Let me guess, you know that once he saw the kids not even planning world domination one bit, he'll be immediately against what you'll subject those children to. You and I both know how obstinate he is, that there's no way he'll harm or have a hand in harming women or children."

Fury's jaw tightened. "Then what he doesn't know won't harm him."

"True, but, hey, you said before that I'm too talkative for my own good. Rest assured, though, that Cap and I are not really the best of buds. But if, and only if, he finds out in some other way, that's out of my control." Stark glanced at the direction the jet flew. "Defenseless kids in cuffs, now that doesn't look good."

Fury wasn't under the illusion that Stark would be quiet regarding this issue, not if he was desperate to do things his way. Fury was still clueless, however, where Stark's insistence was coming from.

"If it's just me, there's no need for you to worry how making some questionable decisions will make you look. Cap, on the other hand, has an aversion for superiors who doesn't share his upstanding morality. Since you're likely to see him sooner than me, tell him how things are different now. He might help you with the kids, but my guess is he'll give you a very hard time instead," Stark stated, offhanded. "But that's just a personal opinion, Nick. No hard feelings." He saluted. "Toodles."

As Stark departed, Fury was left torn between applauding and pissed. He was more inclined with the latter knowing Stark's existence was mostly to be Fury's pain in the ass.

But Fury knew how to weigh his options too. If the kids were exactly as they said they were, escaping to anywhere without a specific destination in mind, they were on the neutral side for now. If so, they were potential assets as well. At least two of them weren't untrained, and if they were developed to their utmost capabilities at a young age, they were bound to be useful. Stark wanted to take them under his wing, with reasons he didn't deign Fury. He knew Stark wasn't going to build an army of superpowered children anytime; Fury could trust that, at least.

If Fury wanted to use the children in the future, he needed to appeal to their good side, the same way Stark implied what he was doing with Captain America, and Stark wasn't wrong with that assumption.

The most ideal choice was beginning to shape in Fury's mind, the one were Stark would surely rub on his face.

"Plot a change of course to the Avengers Tower," Fury ordered on the line, promptly closing the connection without another word.

Stark might have won this round, but there was no fucking way Fury would make it easy for him.

* * *

**Vanya**

There was a soft lulling sound on her left ear.

Turning to her left, Vanya found a girl, with olive skin and curly hair, fast asleep beside her. When Vanya shifted slightly, the arms wrapped around her waist tightened.

She knew her from some distant memory…

Allison. She looked exactly like the young Allison Vanya remembered.

Was she dreaming this now? Last time she had seen Allison she was much older, taller, with a mature face but more beautiful.

Allison had a bandage on her neck.

"I'm sorry," Vanya murmured. She has no idea what was happening, why her hand was as small as the young Allison beside her. Gradually, they came back, the memories of her discovering her powers, of Leonard using her, of Allison telling her everything, of Luther locking her up for what she could do—she ended the world where her siblings lived. It made her feel sick.

The others were there, in separate beds and sleeping soundly like Allison. It made her think of the afterlife; the purgatory, perhaps. It was kind of different from what she expected, she must say, all tall windows showing the impressive view of a busy city at sunset. It appeared to be a five-star hotel suite.

Vanya gingerly extricated herself from Allison's arms, padding quietly towards the door that didn't have a knob. It opened to by its own, and Vanya was lead to an empty hallway. She appreciated the silence; she didn't think she was ready for the noise again.

She strolled down the long corridor, noting that some rooms could be seen from outside through their glass walls. She didn't stick around for long to look in. She was thirsty, and she hoped to find the kitchen.

The end of the hallway was an elevator. She hopped in, eager to explore to keep her mind occupied. She expected to feel claustrophobic at the closed space, but the elevator was rather spacious that she thought the seven of them could fit in with more room. When the door closed, though, she wasn't sure what to do next. There were no buttons present.

_"May I assist you, young miss?"_

Vanya jumped in surprise. The voice seemed to came from above. "Hello?"

_"Hello, young miss. I am Jarvis, the AI assistant of this tower. Where do you like to go?"_

Oh. This was a futuristic purgatory then. It was actually cool. "I just want water. Can you bring me to the kitchen?" she asked meekly.

_"The kitchen is located on the next floor below." _Vanya barely felt the elevator move. _"The third door to your left is the kitchen. If you need any assistance, call me from any location within the tower."_

"Thank you, Jarvis."

_"It is a pleasure, young miss."_

"My name is Vanya. Vanya Hargreeves." She gave a small smile to the ceiling.

_"Have a good day, Miss Vanya. I hope the kitchen will be to your satisfaction."_

Jarvis sounded nice. Like Pogo. If Dad was alive longer, he would probably have installed the same disembodied butler in the mansion.

She hurriedly shook away the thought of her father and Pogo.

The floor was just as quiet as the one she came from. Vanya fixed herself a glass of water. There were also foods on the fridge when she checked, but it didn't feel right to grab something without asking for permission. Besides, she didn't have the appetite to eat yet. Did she need sustenance in this place too? It wasn't so different from living if that was the case.

"Am I dead?" she wondered aloud.

Jarvis was there to answer, _"No, Miss Vanya. Your vitals are normal, but your blood pressure is less than average. Nothing a good rest couldn't fix."_

Vanya already had a lot of sleep. "Where am I then?"

_"The Avengers Tower, formerly the Stark Tower. It is designed by my creator, Mister Anthony Stark. You and your companions are presently his guests. Mister Stark isn't around at the present, but he'll be arriving in a few hours. Miss Virginia Potts, meanwhile, is on her way up to this floor."_

Vanya haven't heard of this Avengers before, nor the names Anthony Stark and Virginia Potts rang any bell. And how were they here as if nothing happened, in their younger selves, no less? Did her siblings know what was going on?

The kitchen door clicked open. A woman with blonde hair came in, carrying paper bags of food and numerous shopping bags dangling on her arms. She almost didn't see Vanya standing there, but when she did, her eyes seemingly softened.

"Oh, hello," the woman said after she set down her baggage. "I expected you guys to be resting so I took the chance to shop for dinner. Honestly, it's been a while since I cooked, but any request?"

Vanya blinked at the woman busying herself and frowning in disapproval at some of the empty cupboards. "Um… Are you Miss Potts?"

The woman stopped in front of Vanya, leaning down to her level. "Call me Pepper, or Pep." She extended a hand. "And you are?"

"Vanya," she said, shaking the hand tentatively. "Jarvis said that me and my siblings are Mister Stark's guests. We don't know any Stark. Why would he receive us in his tower?"

Pepper considered her for a moment before sighing. "Frankly, I don't know either. He just called me and said that there are seven kids on their way and that I shouldn't be surprised. That was it." She looked equally as helpless when she added, "Your host is so… spontaneous on his best days."

Vanya fiddled with her fingers. She didn't know a thing about their host. Should she ask Pepper?

"Are any of the others awake?" Pepper asked.

Vanya shook her head. She glanced at the door. Should she get back to the others? She didn't use to be wary with nice strangers, but since she met Leonard and finding the truth about him, some things were put into perspective.

"You want me to fix you a sandwich?"

"There's no need, but thank you," she said politely, opting to sit on a chair instead. The strength to face his siblings seemed to have left her now. "Can I stay here for a while?"

"Yeah, of course." Pepper shifted on her feet unsurely. "Do you want me to go?"

Being alone was actually preferable, but Vanya wouldn't trust herself now with her own thoughts. The last time she did, all of her bitterness for her father and siblings resurfaced into an ugly ball of hate. What she did to the house and Pogo and Grace were awful, and she couldn't find the will to forgive herself and her actions. She was so… so…

"Hey. It's okay." Pepper was instantly beside her, rubbing her back in a relaxing motion. "It's okay." Gentle fingers found themselves on Vanya's head, carding her now long hair.

Pepper was a stranger to Vanya, and Vanya to Pepper, and yet it was comforting to know that somebody would let her unburden without any judgment. For all she knew, Pepper would turn out to be another Leonard, another person with some hidden agenda behind the nice façade, but Vanya couldn't care less. She would take this moment of comfort even for a short while.

"It's okay," Pepper repeated, embracing her. "I'm here."

* * *

**Pepper**

_"Okay, don't freak out, but I kinda adopted seven kids, and they're on their way to the tower."_

Pepper checked the caller ID. It was Tony, alright. "Hello. Are you drunk?"

Not that being drunk as early as noon was news when it came to Tony.

_"Hello to you too." _There was a pause from the other line. _"And, no, I'm not."_

"Okay, so where did the kids came from?"

_"If I tell you, you'll probably get angry."_

"Oh my god—are they yours?"

_"Not that bad!"_

Pepper wanted to feel terrible for being relieved. "So you just happen to come across seven kids? You're losing me."

Tony sighed. _"Fury was supposed to handle them, but I convinced him that I do it instead." _

"That doesn't answer where they came from." Because if they were Nick Fury's he wouldn't be passing them to Tony, right? And, oh, boy, that question was weird.

_"We're not really sure…"_ Tony trailed off. _"I gotta go. Meet me there at seven. I'll ask Happy to shop for stuffs. Love you." _

Pepper sat throughout a board meeting with nothing but Tony's call on her mind. Seven children, and Tony spoke of them so nonchalantly like he was simply dropping a package. And how could you _not_ be sure where kids came from?

Her secretary had found her distracted more than once in the whole span of five hours. Still uncertain, she dialed Happy to say that he has to pick her up first before he went shopping. Happy appreciated the help to pick up clothes according to the sizes Jarvis had given him. The list said there were two girls and five boys that were by estimation 13 or 14 years old. Pepper had nieces and nephews around the same age, therefore the search for clothes weren't that challenging. She favored those with neutral colors, shoes at the somewhat right sizes, and some clothes with more room to grow to. Kids grew up fast these days.

It was when she was at the back seat with all the paper bags that didn't make it to the trunk that it occurred to her that she could be doing the same thing years later or so. Kids sounded nice, though she wasn't planning to have a number of them; three at most, maybe. But as an only child, she remembered wishing for a lot of siblings to play with. Five or seven wouldn't be so bad.

Happy insisted on not letting her carry any of the bags, and Pepper wouldn't have any of it. Fine, the vegetables and meat were heavy, but she was absently thinking of recipes that she could recall even as she reached Tony's personal kitchen at the tower.

Only then did she notice the girl staring at her, and it was as if Pepper's doubts earlier about Tony's unceremonious adoption thing were erased. Vanya was a polite girl, quiet and guarded, but with sad eyes that had Pepper apprehensive as to how to approach her. She did her best to be as accommodating as she could, asking if Vanya was hungry and offered to make her food.

Vanya quietly and suddenly broke down into tears.

Pepper didn't know why, though in retrospect she saw the dam about to break. To think somebody so young could cry this hard; Pepper didn't want to think what caused it.

But if there was something Pepper understood without the need for words, it was that Vanya was in dire need of a shoulder.

* * *

**Allison**

It was evening when she opened her eyes.

Vanya was nowhere to be found.

Allison immediately sat awake, all grogginess gone in a second. Her brothers were thankfully still in their own beds.

She refused to be parted with Vanya, insisting that she be placed next to her when they were told they would be put to sleep for security purposes. Not that they had a choice, with Five and Vanya unconscious and pretty much the most vulnerable of them. Allison took it all in a stride, thinking that complying to these people would prove beneficial in the long run. Klaus and Ben—Allison would dwell later on how seeing Ben very much alive made her feel—seemed to have the same logic. Luther and Diego, not so much.

The cuffs were fortunately removed. She couldn't be sure with their composition, but they appeared to have delimitating components that had made her lightheaded. In hindsight, she was anticipating a rougher treatment, not a soft bed and a spacious room with her siblings.

In her search for Vanya without coming across any soul, a voice from the ceiling talked to her and directed her to the kitchen. They were currently in one of those smart homes, and Jarvis was programmed to be an electronic butler with a pleasant personality. Allison was sadly reminded of Pogo.

Vanya was in the kitchen with an unknown woman. She looked kind and gentle, just like Grace was to them. But unlike Grace she comforted Vanya with soothing strokes on the back, brushing Vanya's hair and hugged her as she wept. Her movements and expression weren't set to be what their Dad's definition of a 'Mom'. The woman was comforting Vanya like a friend and a family, and the realization that it should have been Allison in the woman's place broke something in her.

"Who's she?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

Jarvis nonetheless heard her._ "That is Miss Potts. Pepper, as she likes to be called."_

"She seems nice."

Allison grew up not taking anything at face value, always with skepticism reserved for any person she met. But she was also painfully aware that her judgment wasn't what Vanya needed today, nor her presence.

Allison retreated without a word.

* * *

**TBC**


	3. Cool Kids

Chapter title is from the same song title by Echosmith

Unbeta-ed. Enjoy!

* * *

**Klaus**

"Klaus, wake up."

"Mmm… No."

A palm connected on Klaus's cheek. He found Ben's face hovering over his, unrepentant. "Wake up. Our sisters are missing."

"Okay!" Klaus exclaimed when he received two more slaps. "Geez, I like you more when you couldn't touch me," he grumbled, scratching the back of his head. He didn't mean it, obviously; out of the five of them, he knew he must be the sole person that wasn't affected by Ben's very much alive presence. Much. "What's wrong?"

"Allison and Vanya are not here when I woke up," Luther answered. "They might have been taken away."

"Maybe they're in the bathroom," Klaus suggested, glancing to his left. Huh, it was already evening. He was hungry.

Diego growled. "I swear, if they touch them—"

"Nobody saw them leave?" Klaus asked. Luther and Diego tended to have that penchant for exaggeration.

"Who would? We were all passed out," Five replied flatly, adjusting his tie.

"Speak for yourself. You're the one who suddenly fell," Klaus said, yawning. "Not that I'm blaming you or anything since you just saved us, but maybe you should have laid back on your space jump for a while."

Five scowled at Klaus's direction. Ben cleared his throat. "What Klaus is saying is that you shouldn't have pushed yourself too much. You said it was your first time using your powers with others. You were already tired when you fought those men."

It didn't escape Klaus the way Luther, Diego, and, surprisingly, Five stared at Ben when he spoke.

"Tried exploring yet?" Klaus interjected. "I mean, this place is more than the size of the mansion. Looks nicer in my opinion." He slumped back on the sheets, hands at the back of his head. His bed back at the mansion wasn't this soft. Ben shot him his best _be serious_ look.

"It's a facility for people like us," Luther said, rubbing on his wrist.

Diego snorted. "At least what they think we are."

"Can't convince them either that we're anatomically human without telling the whole truth." Five began pacing, his face grim when he met Luther's eyes. "It's possible that they examined Vanya and Allison first that's why they're not here."

Klaus's brows rose. Were they really experimental subject to be opened up later? Well, for an ominous facility, this hardly looked like the one they show on TV, with dim lights, bloody scalpels, and grimy metal tables. There was also the distinct lack of ghosts to be seen around.

_"If I may, I might be able to clear some misunderstandings regarding your situation."_

"Is it just me or we all heard a brit?" Klaus asked.

_"My name is Jarvis, and I'll be answering your questions to my utmost ability," _the same British voice said, coming from above. The five of them all shared a look of surprise.

"This is a first," Klaus muttered. "Hey, Jarve, can you tell us where Vanya and Allison are?"

_"Miss Vanya is at the kitchen, and Miss Allison is in the balcony of 80th floor. Miss Allison does not wish to be disturbed at the moment."_

Klaus grinned. "Thanks, mate." He turned to the rest. "Told ya they're exploring." He hopped off the mattress, stretching. "Shall we?"

"Jarvis, where are we?" Five asked.

Jarve told them there were in some tower owned by an Anthony Stark. Five took it upon himself to inquire about the important details they have to know such as what happened earlier during the trip, who was the men who found them, and more about this Anthony.

_"Mister Stark and Director Fury… came into an agreement that led to your stay here as his guests."_

"What's Stark's connection with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Five asked, thoughtfully digesting Jarvis's words. "And tell me more about the Avengers."

_"Mister Stark is an associate of Director Fury, and by extension, S.H.I.E.L.D. Mister Stark is first and foremost part of The Avengers, an independent group of superheroes formed to defend Earth against extraterrestrial threats."_

Luther frowned. "Like aliens."

_"Correct. With the combined efforts of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., New York successfully resisted an invasion last May 4, 2012."_

"We don't know any alien invasion seven years ago," Diego said confusedly. "Is this a hushed up news?"

The moment the words left Diego's mouth, Five facepalmed comically, hissing at Diego's slip of the tongue. Diego looked even more confused until the realization dawned on him, muttering _oh shit_.

Jarve was silent, though he didn't bring up the implication of what Diego just said. Was Jarve even capable of that thought process? _"The news was, and still is, circulating around the world to encourage stronger defense and raise awareness."_

"Jarvis, pull us up a news report of the invasion," Five ordered.

Klaus stared as the glass pane gradually became tinted like a TV screen. A video was then played, showing the local news of the aftermath of the said alien invasion. Disjointed clips of the battles were also showed, mostly displaying a man in ridiculously tight blue spandex throwing a shield on the ugly faces of those aliens, sometimes it was a green giant with torn jeans throwing away their enemies with a monstrous roar.

Klaus couldn't help but laugh. Hell, he didn't even know where exactly they were—he just knew Five made a mistake and landed them elsewhere, very far from the mansion and Dad.

Whatever. This world of superheroes, aliens, and secret organizations, wherever this was, sounded trippy as hell.

Klaus was starting to like it.

* * *

**Five**

"Turn back a bit and pause," he interrupted. A person wearing the same red metal suit from earlier was on the screen. "Who's that?"

_"That is Mister Stark, or Iron Man, as they call him."_

The Avengers, according to Jarvis, were the frontline of defense of Earth composed of a man wearing a metal, a super soldier, a huge green monster, a Norse God, and at least two more "normal" people but nonetheless capable. The idea of him and his siblings not the only superheroes in town reeled in his mind. Five was used to carrying the name of the Umbrella Academy, how they gained popularity at their young age. He never forgot the prestige of his public identity despite living for years in a post-apocalyptic future.

Then here they were in a world were superheroes were a commonality, with aliens dropping by unannounced, and men who appeared to have come from fiction.

To think that such an alternate reality existed.

The Multiverse Theory was at the forefront of his mind before he could even wake. What confused him, though, was the fact that he jumped to another dimension with his siblings.

His powers were still growing, and the conclusion brought him both alarm and fascination. He was capable of more he was yet to discover.

_"Mister Stark has arrived," _Jarvis announced later, and while he didn't say that Stark would like to see them, they were both directed to the bathroom for a change of clothes and to refresh. The door turned out to be unlocked, and Five internally scoffed at how ridiculous Luther and Diego were jumping into conclusions earlier that Allison and Vanya were taken against their will.

"What now?" Diego asked, his voice low as he tried a maroon shirt. Five doubted Jarvis's presence extended to _all _parts of the tower. "You think we can return as soon as possible?"

His powers indeed need a rest for a while after the escape they pulled. "Not any sooner," he said, huffing. He didn't like the thought of being stuck either. "But fortunately for us, we're not in a race against time." Five supposed there was no point hiding from his siblings. "We're not even in our own dimension."

"Wait, what?"

"We're in Earth, but not the one we came from. Think of one of the infinite parallel universes," he explained, condensing the whole theory of multiple realities; the full lecture could wait. "Events here are not the same from ours. Most places, things, and their names can be the same with what we know, but the people are another matter entirely. For example, these Avengers that are popular here. They don't exist in our world, clearly, or you would have heard of them."

His brothers' reactions were mostly confusion but otherwise calm; Five had to give them that.

"You can travel to alternate realities as well?" Luther asked after a while.

"I didn't know I could." It could be a fluke, but better that it wasn't. It would prove useful to understand the extent of his abilities. "Our situation is more complicated than jumping to another dimension. We're time travelers on top of it, our consciousness older than we appear. It's best that we keep this bit to ourselves," Five advised, eyeing Diego and Klaus in particular. "I won't be surprised if they already had the gist of us coming from another world, so that's a safe knowledge." Later, he would look up on this Earth's version of Multiverse Theory, if it even existed here. "We also prove that we're humans through and through that way."

"Do we stick with the back story you made?" Klaus asked, examining his nails. "Or do we just—I don't know, don't speak unless asked?"

"We only lie about our real age and the reason we escaped," Five decided. "We're thirteen years old, all of us born on October 1, 1999."

"And our powers?" Ben asked. There was a hint of worry in his face.

Right, there was still the matter of Ben's eventual death out of his uncontrolled ability. It wasn't only Vanya that was in dire need of control training. "We tell the truth if they ask for it."

Luther frowned. "Is that wise?"

For what Five has in mind, it would certainly be.

* * *

**Tony **

He barely remembered much from his childhood outside wanting to impress his father and despising a dead national icon that Howard Stark never gave up on.

Tony was hardly a normal child. Where his peers were learning to piece together Legos and puzzles, he was tinkering old radios and TVs. If there was one thing he shared in common with the other kids, it was being annoying and running his mouth without filter; the latter which he retained (and worsened) as he got older.

Frankly, he was surprised to find all seven of them presentable the moment he stepped into the receiving room. They sat together primly, with one of the two girls a little apart from the rest, regarding him with cautious eyes when he came in.

They stared.

He stared back.

"Hi," Tony simply said when he had enough of the tense silence, going straight for the minibar he recently installed. "Rough ride?" he asked conversationally, though his back was turned on them as he fixed himself a drink. He would be needing a lot of this in the coming days. "I don't blame you if it was. The longer you stay in the Quinjet the more you wish to get out of it."

"Good thing we're not conscious during the whole ride," said a brunet boy offhandedly before slumping his back on the cushion.

"Drugged?" Tony gulped a mouthful. It went down more bitter than the usual. "Just another day with S.H.I.E.L.D." He raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Your name, kid?"

"Klaus Hargreeves," the boy replied, face splitting in a grin. Tony got the impression that Klaus would be one of those difficult to handle. "Pleasure to meet you, Mister Stark, sir."

He smirked. "Tony is fine." He gestured at the four more boys and the two girls. "Same with you lot. Got names?"

"I'm Luther," said the blond boy with a serious expression, not so different from Cap's.

"Ben," came the other boy with Asian features, almost as laidback as Klaus but not overtly so.

"Diego," said the other boy sitting at Luther's left. His expression closely mirrored Luther's, though his body language was more vigilant.

"Allison," a girl with curly hair said, smiling prettily. Ah, this was the girl Jarvis mentioned hanging alone around the balcony.

"Vanya." When Tony's eyes connected on hers, she was unable to hold the eye contact. Not quite like her sister then, nor the rest of her siblings.

His gaze landed on the boy who they said basically spat on Fury's face. Good times. "You're the kid with the weird name. Five, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir." The smile that Five gave was all teeth, almost feral. "And you're the person who flew late to the scene."

"That's why your old Nicky loves me, amongst other things," Tony said coolly. "You should have seen us. It was quite a spectacular custody battle."

"Pray tell how it went," Five sat back, his smile not leaving his face. "We're curious."

Tony went to the opposite side, resting his feet on top of the coffee table as he tried to get comfortable. "I admit there was no explosion. But he had an array of insults, and in return I mentioned that I may have a tattletale mouth. He doesn't want to look bad to his favorite, so here we are."

The answer seemed to have cracked the boy's expression. "That's it?"

"More or less." Tony shook his glass a bit. "Might have implied that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cyber protection unit is trash."

It was funny how the kid didn't believe that. "Why exactly are we here?"

"You got a better place to go?" Tony shot back.

Five took a moment to answer, practically sneering. "No. Unless you know a man named Reginald Hargreeves. Eccentric billionaire type; I'm sure you'll get along."

Christ, Tony liked the kid already. The moxie of this boy. "That your dad?"

"Yeah, adoptive father," Klaus piped in. "Bought us, more like."

It was somewhat unsettling how casual that sounded. Tony tried not to linger in that thought. "Guy has too much money than he could spend. Can relate." He took another sip. It tasted vile.

"Why, you collect kids too?" Diego said testily.

"Kids? No. Fury said I'm a disaster, and he's not wrong." He pretended not to be affected by that. "I got this whole place and penthouses, Stark Industries, Iron Man suit, Jarvis, my lab, cars." Tony opened his jacket, just for the heck of it, to reveal the bluish glow that managed to be visible underneath his black shirt. "This replacement of a heart I got." He then raised his glass. "This whenever I feel like it." He was glad, though, that he got Pepper and Happy not through the same way he got everything he owned. "All I'm saying is a single kid is worth triple the trouble than all these."

"Then why convince S.H.I.E.L.D. to transfer us here?" Allison asked, eyes flickering at his chest. "If we're twenty-one times the trouble."

Tony snorted. "Nobody loves S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fury for their personality. And after the invasion, I don't think they'll be cordial to anything else new not from this world. You are all humans, as you said, just as me and most people that live here in this planet, but you're not from around here, am I right? Don't expect them to hear out your story, because they don't have the time for that. Not now when the topic of aliens is in heat." He shrugged. "As for me, I don't care as long as you're not here to subjugate mankind."

Should Fury bother to point out that Tony's sympathy was out of their appearance as children, he wouldn't disagree. They were closely alike to mutants, he decided after making sure they were human in composition—one heart, two lungs, two kidneys, DNA and all that—there was relief and less anticipation of another round of nightmares that would instead feature special kids committing transgressions.

"You're here as my guests," he continued. "I'm sure one billionaire of an adoptive father is enough for you."

The way they quieted down spoke for itself. Even Five looked thoughtful.

The daddy issues were bound to be stifling in the oncoming days.

What a messy group they make. Tony included.

"So, house rules," Tony said, changing the subject. "Top ten floors are for research purposes, and aside from my lab, everywhere is free to you. You clean your own litter, and flush the toilet after use. I don't mind fisticuffs, but there's a place for those. Ask Jarvis. He will let me know if you leave the premises, and he'll know what time you returned. I won't set curfews, but you're my responsibility, and I'd rather not let you kids out very late at night." Klaus snickered at that. "Comments, suggestions, violent reactions?"

"Actually, I have one more suggestion," said Five, surprising no one.

"Yeah?" Tony muttered distractedly as he checked his phone. It had vibrated and numerous files came through from S.H.I.E.L.D. containing the data they managed to gather in the short span of time they met the kids. Tony's lips twitched when he noticed that the longest file belonged to Five. He would read them later.

"Train us."

Had Tony heard that right? "Train you," he repeated carefully.

"Us. We want to be trained by The Avengers themselves," the kid elaborated, crossing his arms with a smirk.

Tony gauged him; the kid looked smug, but he seemed determined. "Why, for the people coming after you?"

"I doubt they could follow us here. No worries," Five replied confidently. "It's us who are in need of training." He glanced briefly at Vanya.

"We need to learn control first and foremost," Ben seconded. He wasn't saying a word since he introduced himself. His statement greatly reminded Tony of Bruce and the Hulk who remained struggling how to live together, though after unleashing the Hulk against the Chitauri Bruce was beginning to have his peaceful days.

"Really," Tony said, noncommittal. They didn't look like they had an amateurish issue such as control, if Tony's gotta be honest. He understood that they weren't being completely truthful. Fury mentioned the three of them displayed promising reign on their abilities, and then there were the four who were yet to show what they were capable of. "Tell me why we should agree with that."

"Additional arsenal for us, and we could be valuable," Five reasoned. "Kind of like having a backup team."

"Uh huh. Child labor is a thing here, kid, and it's scary for the adults." But while Tony could hardly consider these kids as backup, the idea of having young protégés could be an effective distraction for him and would keep the team occupied, assuming, of course, that like he and Bruce the others have a lot of free time in their hands.

Fury would _love_ to have two of his employees keeping a close and watchful eye on the kids.

Cap would berate him for even considering it, but he would come around after seeing their eager faces.

Bruce would definitely not let himself be a part of it out of fear of harming them.

Thor would be Thor.

Tony would say yes.

"On second thought, lemme hear what the others will say."

* * *

**Luther**

"Why would you even suggest that?"

"Do you even have to ask, Luther? We need to stop the apocalypse, therefore, we need Vanya to learn how to command her ability," Five told him as if speaking to a younger kid.

"I get that, but why even us? It's like showing all our cards to them," Luther pointed out.

"It isn't," Five insisted. "In fact, it'll be beneficial to us. Back then it was Dad, but he didn't have powers like we do. He did his best to be our mentor, but we could only scratch the surface of our abilities. The Avengers are superheroes of this world, they've fought against larger enemies; they've been on the frontline. Who do you think are more fitting to teach us?"

"But we don't know them."

"We will if they agreed to that, and I think they won't pass up the chance. Stark, especially." Luther's uncertainty must have showed on his face. "Stark is the kind of person who can't be idle for too long and let boredom kill him. Yes, he's a busybody, but he craves movement and action that also stimulate him mentally. He needs an obsession."

Five's impression of Stark could be a total miss, but clearly he read the man better than they did. Luther didn't have to ask how he arrived with that profile. "And you're fine with us being his 'obsession'?"

"No, because it's highly likely to turn into a symbiotic relationship." Five gave him a pat on his back, and Luther had never felt so small. "Now let's just rest and prepare for tomorrow. It's already decided, and I'd like it if you refrain from thinking too much on it. Leave the decision-making to me, seeing as you turned out to be… unreliable in that department."

That jab was more painful than a punch in the face, and Luther didn't even have the energy to be angry—Five has every reason to call him out on his stupidity.

"Besides, ask Diego. I'm sure he'll tell you that he has been meaning to stretch his bones."

They had all returned to their shared room after a meal made by a person named Pepper, according to a post-it note they found on the set dining table that had Stark looking dismayed to have missed Pepper. The dinner was a placid affair overall, considering, and Luther had forgotten the appetite of a prepubescent boy. Stark said that he would be making bedroom arrangements tomorrow, and he would be leaving it up to them to settle.

Across the room were Allison and Vanya's beds, with Vanya wordlessly slipping back under the covers. Luther briefly caught Allison's eyes. She smiled tightly, not offering him any words before she turned in for the night.

He was yet to be forgiven.

* * *

**TBC**


	4. Fire

This is technically one chapter I split in half.

Chapter title is from the same song title by Barns Courtney

Unbeta-ed. Enjoy!

* * *

**Diego**

He almost forgot where they were.

He had left the mansion years ago, but after returning to his thirteen-year-old body, it was easy to fall back on the same childhood routine their father had set for them. He woke at exactly seven in the morning, washed his face, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and went out while Luther was beginning to rise.

It was basically being mechanical all over again. He just hoped his embarrassing stutter wasn't as bad as he had as a kid.

Diego came down for breakfast, greeted by Jarvis a pleasant morning along the way, and arrived to the kitchen that already has two people.

He didn't know any of them.

The woman saw him and smiled. "Good morning," she said. "Eggs and bacon?"

For a moment, Mom came to mind. Mom hadn't age a day since he was a boy and when she saw her again thirteen years later. Mom was an impeccable woman, her appearance perfect whenever Diego saw her, and she always have the same kind smile for him and his siblings no matter what.

Diego sat on the rightmost highchair from the unknown man. He hadn't seen this man yesterday. Was he part of The Avengers? Diego couldn't remember seeing him from those video clips Jarvis showed them the previous day. There was the man with shield and his face covered, but this one didn't resemble that person, physique-wise. He could be one of those two whose faces were barely caught on the camera, all shots from behind, but Diego could say one was a redheaded woman and the other a male archer or something.

The man awkwardly smiled at Diego when he caught him staring.

A plate of eggs, bacon, and toast was placed in front of him. It wasn't arranged as a smiley, but it smelled good. Diego ate in silence, nodding his thanks at the glass of orange juice that followed.

"I'm afraid we haven't met yet," said the woman after serving the other man a cup of tea. "I'm Pepper."

Oh. It was the person who made their dinner last night. "Diego," he said, resuming his eating.

"Bruce." Diego looked up to the man with curly hair who spoke. "If you want to know," he added, hesitant.

Honestly, Diego didn't know what to do with the awkwardness that Bruce seemed to naturally project. He was saved, thankfully, by Luther's arrival followed closely by Five and Allison's. Ben came along dragging a half-asleep Klaus who couldn't be bothered to change into proper clothes. Vanya was last to arrive, but Diego assumed that was mainly to avoid them.

Diego was amused at Bruce's reaction at seeing the bunch of them. In turn, Diego's siblings regarded Bruce curiously as they occupied the empty stools. Pepper, meanwhile, looked delighted at seeing their faces, beaming at them in greeting, particularly at Vanya who gave a shy smile back. Did they know each other?

"Coffee. Black," Diego heard Five beside him. "If you don't mind, miss…"

"Call me Pepper," she said, considering the request for a bit but nonetheless reached for the coffee pot. "That bad dealing with Tony, huh? I don't blame you." She set the cup down in front of a mildly disbelieved Five. "I had to leave early yesterday evening so I only know Vanya here, and then Diego. What are your names?"

There was another round of quick introductions around the table before Bruce stood up to refill his teacup on his own. Pepper admonished him lightly for not letting her.

"This is Bruce Banner, by the way. He's a housemate and a friend," said Pepper. "Now sit down, Bruce, and let me."

Bruce sat back like a chastised kid, giving them a short wave before keeping to himself while occasionally glancing at them as if he was trying to figure something out. What was wrong with him?

Tony swept in like he owned the place—which he did. His appearance was much terrible than Klaus, looking simultaneously like a disgruntled child rudely awoken and someone who scarcely got half an hour of sleep. He walked up to an unimpressed Pepper and gave her a kiss.

Bruce cleared his throat. "Tony, you're in front of the kids," he said disapprovingly.

"I've seen worse," Klaus said with a mouthful of bacon.

"You heard him," Tony said. He made a show of giving Pepper a big hug before reaching past her to fish the coffee pot. He took the vacant spot beside Five, pointing at his coffee, "Hey, you like that?"

Five shrugged. "It's an upgrade from what I've had before," he replied before taking another sip. Diego rolled his eyes. Translation: it was good.

"Good. Have some more, kid." Tony promptly filled Five's mug. "He's after my own heart," he announced before chugging straight from the pot.

Pepper looked ashamed to be associated by Tony, and Diego supposed that was a normal reaction. It made him thought of Mom again and wondered if Mom would feel the same to be associated with their father if others found out that he treated his adopted kids like test subjects. But while Mom was a sophisticated robot, she was still made by Reginald. She never had any bad thing to say to him in the end.

It was only Diego who believed that she had her own free will to begin with.

"I'm finished," he said politely. "Excuse me."

If they stared after him, Diego didn't look back.

* * *

**Bruce**

He got an odd text message from Tony that simply said to be at the tower if convenient.

A good timing seeing as he was headed there anyway after coming from the airport. He had been away for two days attending a lecture by a former colleague. Bruce had qualms going away at first, not wanting to leave Tony and the others to deal with the aftermath of the invasion by themselves—the press, S.H.I.E.L.D. protocols, casualties and damage accounting, and stuffs just as tedious to deal with. It felt unfair to have those fall into his hands as Bruce Banner while the Hulk did most of the action, smashing without care. The Hulk really didn't hold back with all that pent up anger and frustration from Bruce's life as a fugitive.

Tony insisted, though, that he took it as a time off, saying Bruce had enough stress in his lifetime to deal with and he would rather not have him Hulk out again during the renovations. Bruce gratefully took the chance to escape from Director Fury's watchful eyes, but he believed that the reason he managed to leave the state without hindrance was the assurance that he wouldn't be running away from their radar anytime soon.

Bruce didn't expect that to change overnight.

Nor was he expecting Tony to suddenly adopt seven kids to rile Fury.

"Oh."

"Well, you took it better than me," Pepper said. "I only met one of them, but I'm optimistic for the others." Pepper—bless her—looked so fond already, and Bruce couldn't help but think that Tony was a lucky man. Pepper was a resilient woman to have stood with Tony through thick and thin and put up with plenty of his antics.

"I'm just another resident of this tower. I don't really have a say on who Tony takes under his wing." Though not in a million years did he thought Tony would decide to take in kids.

"Please." Pepper rolled her eyes. "He values your opinion than he does for the others. 'I only listen to kindred minds', to quote him. Here's to me hoping that he gets your good sense."

Bruce chuckled. Nice to know Pepper thought he has that. If anything, it was Tony who was starting to rub off on him. Bruce didn't recall developing an inclination for sarcasm recently.

A boy then came in, his eyes darting between Pepper and Bruce before he sat as far as he could. Not timid, Bruce observed; he recognized the cautiousness on the boy's body language, not as extreme as Bruce's during his runaway days, but it was worrying to find it on a thirteen-year-old kid. He could only imagine what the boy escaped from.

His name was Diego, and he minded his own breakfast, saying thanks at Pepper's attentiveness but otherwise ate his food noiselessly. Sometimes Bruce would catch him staring, sometimes it was Diego who would catch him. It was silly.

Bruce usually avoid children if he could, with the Hulk often agitated with their racket. But if the rest of the kids were like Diego, Bruce supposed it wouldn't be so bad living together with them.

His confidence strengthened when the rest came in, four more boys and two girls. Luther, Five, and Ben were just as reserved as their brother, and then there was Klaus acting… appropriately for his age, Bruce thought amusedly. Allison moved easily around, smiling at Bruce when she sat to his right, while Vanya, the child who Pepper said she had already taken a liking to, was the last to come in. Judging by Vanya's expression when she noticed Pepper, the sentiment was mutual.

Good mannered children, Bruce thought wistfully. That was something he didn't see often (or didn't focus much on given his situation).

Then there came Tony.

Bruce liked Tony. He might be verbose and arrogant, but those were Tony's default buttons for anyone that wasn't Pepper. Tony's best quality was his honesty, and Bruce was partial on his bluntness. They probably didn't think it would come from an unexcitable person like him, assuming that he was like Cap who would find Tony's attitude distasteful. Tony was a good friend and a science buddy, and Bruce wouldn't deny the company of an intellectual who knew what he could turn into and offered to search for a remedy instead of running away from him.

Although, Bruce wouldn't deny that Tony could be a bad influence to these children.

As Tony encouraged Five's caffeine craving, Bruce decided that it was only a matter of _when_.

He could only sigh in surrender as Tony drank straight from the coffeepot with the finesse of a drunk in front of the kids.

Might as well rub off on Tony the good sense Pepper kept insisting Bruce has.

* * *

**Tony**

So he might have overindulged last night.

Jarvis warned him once or twice, but when did Tony listen to him? Jarvis had tried to close the window Tony was reading on but was unsuccessful in keeping Tony from being awake.

S.H.I.E.L.D. put Luther's data next to Cap and Thor, which didn't surprise Tony. Their measurement of the kid's super strength wasn't close to the super soldier and the Asgardian, but there was a promising benchmark for improvement given that Luther was young compared to Cap and Thor in their prime.

Diego's was placed next to Barton's. It seemed that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't bother anymore to keep from Tony the info on one of their top agents. Must have known it was futile. Barton's file listed the result of his latest accuracy and precision test, while the same spot on Diego's listed sizable range. Tony would have to test that too.

Tony once again pored over on his stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. files, particularly on the subject of Professor Xavier's School of Gifted Youngsters. As expected, there were lists of known mutants living in the school and alumni. Five was compared to a mutant called Nightcrawler who specialized in the ability of spatial travel a.k.a. teleportation. But unlike the mutant, it was indicated that Five has limitations after a certain number of spatial jumps.

There was an attached video clip of Nightcrawler, real name Kurt Wagner, in action. Tony wouldn't believe it a teenager, to be honest, with that tail and midnight-blue skin. He lazily skimmed through on the files about mutants. Halfway, his mind wandered on the possible abilities the other four could have. Could one of them have telekinesis like this redheaded mutant girl? How about laser eyes like this visored boy, but there was no need for special glasses? How about weather control? That would be fascinating, but it could mean indoor climate change which wasn't cool. Could one of them possessed an unnaturally fast regeneration? Tony dismissed it; he wasn't looking forward to hurt a kid just to test that one out.

Looking at all these mutants, their peculiar genetic makeup and their isolated living, made Tony thought back bitterly on the invasion. It must be nice living unperturbed in your island while aliens came down on Earth. The Avengers could have had their aid, and the battle would have been won easily without Fury settling for a nuke and fuck everything within the perimeter. Tony was inside a suit of metal, but he would never forget holding a timed bomb on his hands.

A tiny slip or a one second delay and the outcome would have been much, much worse.

For once in his life, Tony was being eaten by the various what-ifs.

He tasked Jarvis to place an order for bedroom furniture. Tony would let them decorate their respective sanctuaries, because kids like that, yeah? King-sized beds, nightstands, and closets. Sounded about right. Would cartoon-patterned sheets be appreciated?

"Jarvis, what do kids like?" Tony asked at 2:48 in the morning.

"_What you like as a kid, sir,"_ Jarvis quipped. Did Tony programmed him that way?

"You of all people should know what I was like." He definitely wasn't a regular kid.

"_I'm afraid you are mistaking me for the late Edwin Jarvis, sir."_

Tony did, didn't he? It wasn't even intentional.

"_But I'm sure he would have urged you to get sleep,"_ Jarvis insisted.

Yes. Edwin Jarvis would. He was more of a father to him than Howard ever was. Was he looking down at him now, shaking his head in disappointment at Tony? Was he seeing how sleep deprived he was, more often than not hungover? Tony wasn't doing drugs or having suicidal tendencies, so there was that.

He wasn't cut out to take care of children, of all things, and everyone knew that. It was nice that Pepper was backing him up on this, but she wasn't here now.

He ordered Jarvis to send a message for Bruce, Cap, and, hey, maybe Rhodey would like to hear the news as well. The last recipients were Clint and Nat, because fuck S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fury.

Tony's eyes began to hurt as he stared mindlessly at the slide of scans Jarvis had taken beforehand. The uniform the children were wearing has a curious logo with a Latin inscription of _Ut Malum Pluvia._ When evil rains, a wordplay with 'when evil reigns'. Terrible.

"_It would have explained the umbrella tattoos the six of them have,"_ Jarvis said.

"The what?"

"_They all have it marked on their wrists, except Miss Vanya,"_ Jarvis elaborated. _"I believe there is a clear image—"_

"Who the hell brands young children?" Tony gritted out, his volume raising. "This is sick."

Who lets shitty people adopt kids? Oh, yeah, Klaus said they were bought. Maybe that gave their 'Father' a right to ink them like fucking products. Jesus, that was more messed up than Howard.

Fuck Howard. Fuck this Reginald.

Actually, Tony shouldn't give a damn what others think of him. They think him taking care of seven kids was bad news? Well, tough shit, they were under his roof now. They have something to say to that? They damn well better bring it up to Howard and Reginald's asses.

Tony would show them.

Okay, so maybe not immediately because he really needed that fix of coffee first thing in the morning.

Five seemed to share the same hankering, and he was Tony's favorite so far, closely followed by Klaus; the latter of the two only a step lower in the ranking because Tony was reminded of his own self for some reasons.

He was yet to gauge the others. Soon. Later, maybe.

Yes. Noon would be fitting.

* * *

They lined up in front of him like good scouters, wearing the plain black sweatshirts he provided. Durable materials they were, just in case there would be an urge to rip their clothes.

"So…" Tony snapped his fingers. "A rundown?"

"Super strength," Luther said first after glancing at his siblings.

"Trajectory manipulation," said Diego. "Only on knives so far."

"Persuasion," Allison said. "I think that's what they call it." Tony would have her explain that more later.

"I can see ghosts," Klaus told him. "And talk to them."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Like that boy in the movie _The_ _Sixth Sense_?"

"What's that?"

"Bruce Willis. '_I see dead people.'_"

Tony got seven blank stares. That was something that had to be remedied.

"You already know mine," Five said, frowning, when Tony moved on to him.

"Share it to the class anyway. Bruce here is new to all of these."

Speaking of Bruce. He was faring well, considering, though incredibly surprised at the turn of events, mouthing _they have powers? _

Tony might have forgotten to tell him that, as well as the training with The Avengers Five suggested and Tony readily agreed to. Not only to Bruce—forgot to inform the team. Eh.

"Spatial jumps," Five said impatiently.

"I can summon creatures from my…" Ben gestured on his stomach. "Usually creatures with tentacles."

"That's very Asian of you." Ben confusedly looked back at him as Tony turned to Vanya.

She appeared hesitant to say. "I don't… I don't really know what it is called."

"She only discovered it recently," Five supplied for her. "We think it's related to sounds."

"And my emotions," Vanya added. "I can't control it properly."

"All hell breaks loose whenever you get angry?"

When Vanya nodded uncomfortably, Tony's gaze darted back to Bruce. "About that sound thing, you need a conduit for that?"

"I was using a violin before," Vanya replied weakly. "It's… more chaotic without it."

"Noted." Tony would have to get her that, then. "So you can't use other instruments?"

"I only know how to play the violin," she admitted.

"You want to wait before I get you a new one?" Tony said. "Be in the sidelines if that's what you—"

"No," Vanya interrupted, surprising Tony and her siblings with her volume. "I-I'm sorry. I mean, it's me who's in need of this training. I was never given the chance to join them before, and I don't want my powers to hurt my brothers and sister if I use it again, so I want to control it, sir."

Vanya's eyes met his. She has fierceness there that she didn't make much of a show of. Tony winked. "Now that's the spirit."

She broke the eye contact, though Tony didn't miss the small smile. "I remembered Dad using a tuning fork as part of measuring my powers. He used a row of wineglasses to see how many I can break with the resonance."

According to her, it was proven to work as a test trial for her ability. But that was Reginald's idea, and Tony was all for originality. "Noted."

Ben grinned at her sister, squeezing her by her shoulders. Tony heard him whispered, "You broke all glasses, didn't you? I bet that was cool."

Klaus's arm shot up. "Hey, Mister Tony, I have a request." Tony waited for him to continue. "If I may, I'll to sit out on this one. My ability isn't a convenient one. I can see and talk to ghost, but there's no way for you to see what I'm seeing and talking with. If you catch my drift."

Tony couldn't argue with that. Thermal imaging was a ridiculous concept used in live TV ghostbusting, next to the idea of ghosts, in Tony's initial opinion.

"But, I'd like to volunteer myself as their partner. Meaning that I can be for Luther to throw around as a basis of how much weight he could throw and how high, or maybe Diego's running target. They say I can rock the bulls eye attire."

"You're asking to be their punching bag," Tony stated flatly. Bruce looked horrified at that suggestion.

"Is that what they call it here?"

"I'm pretty sure it's called being a living punching bag anywhere," Diego said. "No, Klaus, w-what the hell?"

"Klaus, please don't be like this," Luther muttered.

"That is the stupidest thing I've heard from you," Five reprimanded.

"Yep. That's a very bad idea," Allison said.

"Seconded. And you've had _several_ bad ideas before," Ben said while Vanya worriedly frowned at Klaus.

Tony has a feeling that this boy's tendencies weren't uncommon.

"Guys, Ben _is_ already standing here. What do you need me for?"

Klaus's nonchalance only served to anger Diego. "Don't speak that way about y-yourself. W-What if we hurt you? I g-get that you're a m-masochistic prick, but you're not i-i-insignificant to us that you think we're just going to a-a-agree with that!"

Was this what having siblings like? Tony was never one for wishing a brother or a sister. He liked being alone, and as a single child there was no one to divide his toys with; not that it was a problem since Howard would rather shower him with material presents than attention. Hard to compete with Captain America.

Klaus looked genuinely shaken by his brother's stuttering words than the hands that bodily shook him. His face split into a grin before laughing. "Aww, Diego, that was really sweet." Diego's ears were pink when Klaus hugged him but didn't push him away. "I already made up my mind, sorry. The reason I suggested is that I'm feeling antsy since yesterday. I know it might be all in my head or something since it's not possible for my body to feel that way, but this is better than the _alternative_, no?"

Lots to unpack there. Tony knew better than to pry, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious.

"You heard your siblings, kid," he said to him.

And Tony—Jesus, he was so right when he said that Klaus would be one of those difficult kids. "Don't mind them, Mister Stark. I insist because I doubt they'll hurt me. Allison can thank me later after her demonstration."

"Klaus won't stop until we agree," Ben huffed. "Fine by me, but you stay out of it if it's my turn and Vanya's; Luther doesn't get to thrash you; you'll wear a protective gear against Diego's knives; Five doesn't get to drop you at a great height; Allison… well, she has the most common sense."

The brothers looked affronted, Allison was positively smug, Vanya was fighting back a smile, and Ben was seriously taking up the mantle of being Klaus's self-preservation.

"Deal," Klaus readily agreed.

Resigned, they turned to Tony who merely smirked at them back. Not a dull moment with these kids, he bet.

"That's settled."

* * *

**TBC**


	5. Feeling Good

I was listening to "The Walker" by Fitz and The Tantrums for this chapter, because it just fits. :)

Chapter title is from the same song title by Nina Simone

Unbeta-ed. Enjoy!

* * *

**Natasha**

She spotted Stark peering down the recreational room that she only saw on the tower's blueprints once. The moment she stepped foot on the tower, Jarvis was instantly connected to her phone, telling her and Clint that they were expected at the observation deck. It was followed by Stark's own voice saying: _"Tell Fury there's no need for you to pose as a child psychologist."_

Natasha's lips quirked. It was close to what the Director had in mind, with an added difficulty of Stark's info on her and Clint's that were likely shared to the children, a notice on two people to be on high alert for; plus, Pepper knew her too. Their faces might be obscured from public videos and official news reports of the invasion but not anymore on close circles.

Pepper would be the easiest to take away from the tower for a few hours. She had taken a week's leave from SI, and Natasha could simply create a complication that Pepper would have to personally deal with.

The Director would personally distract Stark—assuming Stark would comply to a summon. She wouldn't doubt the efficiency of an uncomplicated ploy, knowing the Director was determined to get back on Stark for swiping the seven subjects from under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose.

Jarvis recognized her as a friendly since the official change of Stark Tower to Avenger Tower, and while the rest of his security would be tricky to bypass and wouldn't last for more than two hours, it was enough for Natasha.

She would only need two hours at most to enter the tower as child protection service personnel, gather Stark's current intel on the subjects, interrogate them herself, and report back to the Director.

Then there came Stark's request to come over at their earliest available schedule. Whether Stark was making it purposefully smooth, Natasha and Clint took it with professional courtesy and indifference they were trained to have.

"Was kind of hoping you'll come in as a psychologist anyway. Bruce would have liked the whole sexy librarian look," Stark said, not even looking at their entrance.

Natasha noticed Bruce on a corner, glasses perched low on his nose as he read from his tablet and the hanging monitor. He looked utterly apologetic when he heard Tony.

"Doctor Banner," she said with a smile that she hoped appeared genuine. She intended it to be.

"Hey, Nat." Bruce returned the gesture, but not without his usual wariness around her, or around any S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for that matter. He nodded curtly at Clint.

Natasha went to Stark's right, peering below. "Is that them?"

He shrugged. "They'd like to be trained by us, The Avengers. Must be a field day for Fury."

"He thinks you're making fun of him," Clint shared. "They a handful?"

"Surprisingly, no," Stark replied. "They're well-mannered and sweet."

"Now you're just pulling our legs," Clint muttered. Natasha remembered his eldest kid, Cooper. Certainly a handful nine-year-old but Clint loved him to death. "Or they're trying to manipulate you with their good behavior."

Stark's raised eyebrow was seemingly asking whether Clint was speaking from experience. "Who says they're normal kids anyway?"

"Fair enough."

Natasha wasn't on the site when S.H.I.E.L.D. detained the subjects, awaiting for further instructions back at the facility where they would be relocated. There was a sudden reroute, and knowing Stark was there, it shouldn't come as a shock that he got his own way in the end. She was told that the seven subjects possessed distinct abilities in which three were known.

They were pertained as 'childlike in appearance', not actual children like how they could be indisputably distinguished with the way they fooled around below. A laugh and a groan of exasperation floated through the intercom, accompanied by a different irritated voice and another giggling.

"_I think we're good here, Mister Tony," _said a male voice that was practically bubbling with excitement.

Stark clapped his hands. "Showtime."

* * *

**Luther**

"Do I carry you or—"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Klaus scoffed. He was jumping on his bare feet in a boxing stance. "Come here, big boy."

"I don't think that's—"

"How about you throw me those weights over there? I'll dodge them."

"The deal—"

"Is no thrashing. You won't be thrashing me, Luther. You're just gonna throw stuffs at me."

Luther glanced helplessly at where his other siblings were behind a tempered glass pane. "Ben is glaring at us."

"He should have been more specific then."

Luther was going to regret this, wasn't he? He hefted a hundred kilogram of steel. He suspected that if he settled for a lighter weight, Klaus was going to bash his own head with a much heavier one.

"Here it goes," he announced, backing to the other side of the padded room.

Absently, he was impressed by Klaus's reflex. He did remember him getting into Dad's dodgeball version for them as part of their training. Klaus was springy as he capered with his gangly limbs, and he used to frustrate Luther and Diego to no end when they couldn't hit him.

One by one, Luther hurtled weights of increasing heaviness. He hardly felt the progressing amount, but it was on the thousandth kilos did the strain on his hands began. He suspected it was his developing pre-teen muscles and bones. Still an improvement from his limit as an actual thirteen-year-old before.

The last metal ball nearly hit Klaus. He ducked, and then cheered at how close Luther came. "That's a ten!"

Klaus _always_ frustrated him, but that didn't mean Luther wasn't allowed to laugh sometimes at his brother's antics.

* * *

**Diego**

"Get o-out of the way, Klaus," he called warningly. He mentally cursed at another stutter. He would have to outgrow this again.

"Nope! I'll run zigzag towards you then you split the apple I have on top of my head as I run, yeah?"

"No, you're going out of the way, t-then I'll hit the t-targets behind you."

Klaus stomped his foot. "That's so boring, Diego. We have an audience. Where's your showmanship?"

Oh, god, why did they agree with Klaus's suggestion? In retaliation, Diego suddenly threw three knives that flew past Klaus, perfectly hitting at dead center their marks behind him.

"Hey, I wasn't even prepared!" Klaus then _hopped_—could he really reach that high before?

The sudden movement that came barreling towards Diego spurned him to throw another blade, curving directly to the apple Klaus perched on top of his head with a garter—showmanship, my ass—and perfectly sliced it into two.

He sent him a double thumbs up. "Nailed it!"

Klaus would be the death of Diego.

* * *

Above, Clint Barton whistled at that peculiar display of accuracy.

* * *

**Allison **

"So, sis, how are we going to—"

"I heard a rumor that you fell asleep for thirty minutes."

Klaus hit the floor limply.

* * *

**Five**

He took Klaus by the collar of his shirt before jumping and suddenly appearing at the couch behind Stark, depositing a snoring Klaus there.

"Keep an eye on him," he told Stark and a flabbergasted Banner at his abrupt presence. The man probably hadn't seen an actual teleportation before.

There were two new people there, a woman and another man both armed: the man with his bow and arrows, the woman with a semi-automatic pistol in her thigh holster. Five could count at least three more weapons likely to be concealed around the waist, in the chest pockets, and in the boots. They wore form-fitting uniforms unlike what the Temps have, therefore their weapons were undoubtedly thinner and finer, efficient for quick kills. Assassins would be a more fitting term for them. These were the two additional Avengers then. To Five's understanding, they were employed as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and their membership to The Avengers could only be second to espionage and keeping an eye on Anthony Stark, and now them.

Both appeared unassuming, expressions carefully blank upon his arrival, but their stances were rigid, surreptitiously observant. He was being profiled, if they haven't done that yet to him and his siblings.

Never mind. They didn't have to know that they weren't the only assassins in the room.

* * *

**Ben**

For his turn, the rest of his brothers and sisters stayed with Tony and the others above.

Ben needed the space he could be afforded. It had been a while since he got the rush of his ability. He wasn't counting the time Klaus called him forth, because that was all Klaus. Ben was spirit in form then, no tingling under his skin when he summoned the creatures. He was a projection shaped by Klaus's power.

At the risk of sounding like Reginald, Ben was sometimes disappointed with how Klaus was wasting away his potential. But thinking back on what led Klaus to his destructive lifestyle, Ben would forever blame Reginald.

The creatures were uneasy as Ben beckoned them, angry to be disturbed from their long sleep but were unable to refuse the familiar call.

Slimy tentacles shot out from all directions, ripping against the padding of the walls and ground. The sensation was akin to releasing an unpinned grenade a millisecond before it set off. It was disgusting yet addicting to feel this alive again, to experience the same fear of being unable to contain them once it was over. It had torn him to shreds before when they lashed out, and how was a young boy to control that amount of destructiveness?

To Ben, it was the greatest luck of his life (and death) to have time traveled and regressed as a kid with all his memories intact. The bonus was that he was far away from Reginald who found him incredibly useful and just as revolting with what he was capable of.

There was no Reginald now, they were in a place where he and Vanya could get proper help, and he has all his siblings who could see him.

All was good.

* * *

**Vanya**

"_Holler if it becomes too much,"_ Stark's voice came through.

Vanya privately appreciated the concern behind the dismissive tone. In the short span of time she met him, she got the impression that Stark was having difficulty trying to be the responsible adult that he thought he should be, and then failing. Pepper must be the counterbalance for that with how they looked so well together.

The first sound that Vanya heard was a bell. It made her remember Mrs. Kowalski's missing cat that used to prance around with his bell chiming to announce his presence. It was a pleasant sound, and Mr. Puddles always liked to be petted by her.

The chimes turned consecutive with minimal pauses in between. It reminded Vanya of a bicycle. Once, she was distractedly walking down the street after getting rejected for the second seat. A bike almost hit her, and she was even reprimanded for not paying attention on the road. It only reinforced the thought that she must be an airhead for not even succeeding in her only passion.

There were vibrations coming from the ground, and for a moment she was confused whether she caused it or the rumbling sound that came from the speakers. It made her recall the quake she started that brought the whole mansion down and those left inside it.

The tear marks left by Ben enlarged, the rips widening as the foams and insulation were pushed out. Vanya didn't like the combination of the sound of the tearing fabric, the rumbling that gradually morphed into the individual sounds of concrete crushing, falling debris, the creak of bending steel, the whirr of electricity that surrounded her. It was so, so noisy.

"Stop," she managed to say amidst the cacophony. "Stop, please."

Louder, Dad would say, louder so she could be heard. Her voice has always been weak, he said, that was why she wasn't worth the time to be heard.

But Dad never failed to hear. He just never _listened_.

"I said _stop_!"

Huge cracks tore beneath her and ran across the walls, accompanied by the breaking glass that rained down around Vanya in an instant explosion. Everything around her went muted except her heartbeat and her ragged breathing. It was as if she was the only one left standing after that immense impact. Had she—oh, dear, no, please...

As swift was her horror upon realizing what she did was the relief that filled her at seeing her siblings and the others as they peered down on her. They were clearly shaken but alright as far as she could see. Distantly, she was aware of the mellow piano tune that was playing on the background: _Nocturne_, Chopin.

They were alright, and Vanya remembered to slowly breathe and relax.

Inhale, exhale.

Inhale, exhale.

Inhale, exhale.

"Calling me would have been fine, but that works too," Stark said, and there was something morbidly humorous at how he shook away the small glass shards from his hair.

They were okay, and so was Vanya. It was all that mattered.

* * *

**Ben**

Afterwards, there was a film showing in the living room (or at least what he thought was the living room), and a bowl of popcorn passed around.

What an odd way to end the day, Ben thought, watching in a huge screen rather than holed up in their rooms. He wasn't complaining; he liked movies and cinemas. Klaus was more often than not falling asleep in the first half-hour, and Ben was left to watch alone and tell him later what happened.

_The Sixth Sense _started with a simple plot of a child being haunted by his ability to see the dead, too afraid to tell anybody about it except the child psychologist who was dedicated to help him. Ben would have likened the boy's experience to Klaus, sans the good therapist, but their similarities only ran up to their powers. Klaus had harder childhood under Reginald, spent his life being the biggest disappointment among Reginald's adopted children by not rising up to the peak of his potential—lots of bull, that last one.

So the movie might not be as realistic as Klaus's boyhood, but it was well-made, especially that incredible plot twist. This M. Night Shyamalan was definitely favorite, and Ben wanted to watch his other films too.

Legs raised and bowls of food on their laps, what passed as dinner was spent in front of the TV. Improper, he knew, not to mention there were copious amount of talking that Reginald never allowed during mealtimes. Pepper reprimanded Stark for that, saying she wouldn't spend her leave tolerating his childishness, but only has smiles for them. They seemed to be unable to do wrong in her eyes.

Later that night, the elevator dropped them two floors lower where seven rooms were and the doors labeled by their names. His bedroom was the last on the left next to Klaus's and in front of Five's. It was very utilitarian when he entered, and Ben supposed Stark was leaving the decorating to them. Some books would be nice.

The carpet felt nice as he rubbed his feet down, and he ended up passing the time sitting there on the bed for ten minutes that turned thirty, thirty minutes that turned an hour, then two, and three.

Ben couldn't sleep.

He thought it was the creatures again, but they've been quiet. Could it be the him getting used to being alive again? He didn't need sleep as a ghost, but the night before he never had problems sleeping along his siblings.

Ben blinked. That must be it. He needed company.

Klaus's.

It must have been the years he was with him standing like Klaus's shadow that made Ben grew dependent with his brother's presence. Klaus often said that while he was Ben's only link to the living, it was Ben who was keeping Klaus from floating away from the real world. Ben stood by his side day and night, sat on the windowsill while Klaus was sleeping. Ghosts didn't have the concept of resting and Ben's presence was reliant on whether Klaus would dismiss him or not, but he would relish the lull of Klaus's snoring, mostly when he wasn't hangover the following day and it wasn't a drug-induced sleep.

When Ben decided to go check on Klaus, he was already there outside, fist about to knock.

Ben frowned, the first thing coming to mind was: "Since when did you knock?"

Klaus grinned. "Not sure if you're awake."

"Doesn't stop you before." His brother waltz in, pushing past him.

"Yeah, but it's different now." Klaus jumped on the bed; a habit of his. "I can't sleep."

"Me too," Ben admitted, sitting down on the carpet with his back on the side of his bed. "You wanna talk about it?"

"The usual." His brother landed next to him, folding his legs to his chest. "I meant what I said earlier. I was a bit peckish. Did you know that I was _this_—" he made a gesture using his thumb and forefinger "—close to stealing a bottle from Tony. And the fact that he's raiding his cabinet like a champ isn't helping either. A rich man's goal right there."

Ben snorted. "It's a good test on resistance."

"It is," Klaus said, nodding sagely. "Once you think that you're technically clean and the addiction is all in your head now, it's a bit easier to forget the craving for a while."

Ben mentally tallied that as another point to their situation.

"How about you?" Klaus asked. "Are they… you know. Reacting?"

"No. Not yet." Hopefully never, but that was asking too much. Ben thought he saw the nonverbal inquiry of _are you_ _going to rip yourself in pieces and die again? _"I'm not planning to repeat it," he told him.

Not when Ben had another shot in life.

"That's reassuring," said Klaus. "Hey, can I crash here tonight?"

"Never stopped you before."

"Yes, well, you were a ghost, then you're physically here again with the whole personal space and privacy thing."

Ben couldn't help the grin. "I repeat: never stopped you before."

"You know what? You're right, as always. I call dibs on the left side."

"Scoot over—don't hog the blanket!"

So far it was going steadily well.

* * *

**TBC**


	6. Man on a Mission

Chapter title is from the same song title by Oh The Larceny

Unbeta-ed. Enjoy!

* * *

**Steve**

It took him a day to figure out that Stark sent him a message—which was a huge progress, in his opinion, given that he was in the process of getting used to how most things had gotten smaller and wireless. The last time saw a phone, it had circular dials and a long wire, and it _rang_.

The contraption Stark gave him, not so much.

He said that it could do several tasks at once such as set an alarm, play a music, play a game, read a book, take pictures, play moving pictures, save a person's number, call a person, and send a message. Steve only needed the latter three but even those proved to be complicated tasks. He was also told that it was capable to surf the internet, whatever that could mean.

Sometimes, the thought that Stark must have purposefully made it complicated for him would enter his mind; he would shake the thought away, because who would be that petty? They might have gotten off on the wrong foot, and his attitude left much to be desired, but Steve trusted him to be mature.

When he had successfully (and finally) opened the Starkphone, there was a message saying to come to the tower. It didn't seem urgent, he believed, or else he would receive a call instead. Still, the timestamp listed the date of the day before yesterday at nine in the evening, and it would be rude to not check on Stark.

The morning of the following day, Steve was at the Avengers Tower, and the first thing he saw was Bruce holding a small pot of plant.

"Good morning, Bruce," Steve said, nodding. He glanced curiously at the tiny vase. "For science?"

"It's for Vanya, actually."

"Who's Vanya?"

"Oh, right. You haven't met the kids."

"What kids?"

"Tony got seven kids. He's housing them, so you'll see them around often from now on."

Steve didn't know where to begin. "I didn't know that."

"Me too. I arrived here yesterday, had breakfast, then the next thing I know seven kids were sharing the table with me."

He didn't have anything against Stark taking seven children under his roof. It was his tower, after all. Although, there was something bizarre, not to mention spontaneous, about all that. Bruce didn't seem stressed out to be living with them, therefore Steve wouldn't ask his say anymore. "How does Pepper take it?"

"She loves them already," Bruce said. "They're good kids. It's hard not to like them."

"How long have they been here?"

"Since I got Tony's text, I think," Bruce told him. "Which I think you got too."

"I see," Steve said slowly. Should he mention that he only figured out how the phone works last night? "I thought it was an emergency." Thankfully, it wasn't.

"I think Tony will use the same wording if it was," Bruce said wryly. "But he needs the team's input. The siblings are asking to be trained by The Avengers."

Steve had seen this coming, in a way. It felt good to inspire and set up a good example for the younger generation, but he heard that the people of the current century have more flair for the dramatics, taking most to the extreme and such. What were the parents of these children doing? And why was Stark letting them? "The media has gotten overboard painting us as kids-friendly."

"I'm not going to disagree, but it's different. They have powers, Cap. We've had a demo yesterday, and me and Nat and Clint were there too. We saw what they're capable of, and the kids themselves know that they're in need of mastery, know they're destructive if unchecked. Tony briefed me. They said they were running away from the place they came from then landed here. S.H.I.E.L.D. got to them first, and you know the first thing they did? They cuffed them. Tony did his pitch so he got them instead. I don't want to think where they'll be now if Tony didn't convince Fury. They could live a runaway life like I did, and look how that turned out."

Steve understood the wariness with people suddenly appearing on Earth while New York was in recovery from the invasion attempt. But children? He had nothing on S.H.I.E.L.D. and in fact admired Fury for making tough decisions. It was one thing Captain America was unsteadily grasping when it involved several others, but as Steve Rogers his moral values were basically down to not to hurt nor have a hand in harming children and women.

"Look, me and Tony, we get it. They're dangerous, if not in their own untrained hands, then by some shady people who could have used them. But I think we've had enough tension running high, and if they're right about wanting to escape only to get captured here, what then?"

Steve doubt that he would know about this if S.H.I.E.L.D. handled it, but after Bruce told him the story, it was hard not to think it would be indirectly in his conscience if there was something he could have done about the situation. He thought of Stark and how he had to convince a man like Fury who wasn't one to yield easily. It might be for the sole purpose of annoying the director, but that was a Stark—no, a _Tony _thing. Steve couldn't remember Howard caring past his innovations, and seeing as Tony was bitter with the Captain America, it was proof that Howard didn't outgrow his disposition despite having a family.

"Are they up, the kids?" Steve asked after a long bout of silence. "I'd like to meet them."

It hardly felt like an interrogation, but judging from Bruce's relief, Steve seemed to pass a test he had unknowingly taken.

The elevator dinged, and Jarvis announced their presence to Stark who was trying to explain an electronic tablet to a boy who was getting terribly miffed each passing second. Steve supposed the sunglasses Stark was wearing indoors didn't help.

"Good timing, Cap," said Stark. "Kid here is after you. Seriously, what kid doesn't know what a tablet is?"

The boy scowled at Stark, almost ready to protest but saw Steve. "You're the Captain America."

It wasn't even a question. "I am. Steve Rogers." He extended a hand that the boy shook with surprising strength.

"Five."

"Yep. That's his name," Stark said unhelpfully.

"Did Stark tell you about us?"

"Not really. It was Jarvis. He told us about your group of heroes and showed some videos too," Five said as he began pacing around the room. For a boy, he moved around like an adult, both his hands inside his pockets. "You're the leader of The Avengers."

Stark, who occupied Five's previous spot and sprawled next to Bruce, let out a disgruntled noise, crossing his arms.

"There's no official leader of the team, but Stark and I are doing the best that we could to lead," Steve stated, getting comfortable opposite of Stark.

Stark pulled down his glasses to peer at Steve suspiciously before covering his eyes back, resting his feet on Bruce. "What he said."

"Bruce said you and your siblings have powers," Steve began. "Where did you come from?"

"Wormhole. We escaped from some people. The whole spiel," Five said, now with a coffee at hand. When and where did he get that?

"And these people are?"

"They call themselves the Temp Commission. All you have to know is that they work like S.H.I.E.L.D." The boy gave a half-shrug. "They won't be able to follow us here, that's for sure."

"How can you be sure? If they're a system, they have the means and resources at their disposal to track you down here," Steve said. He didn't mean to ruin Five's sense of security, but he would rather the boy, and them, were prepared for what was to come. The Avengers were involved now with what the children had gotten tangled to.

Five stared at Steve before saying, "That's fair. And it's true that they have enough to track us down. The problem is nobody in them has the ability that I have, which is jumping to another dimension. If we stayed on our own world, they would have gotten us already."

"Are we not taking about some third world country?" Stark spoke.

It was comforting to know that in the presence of two renowned intellectuals, Bruce was just as struggling as Steve to understand what Five just said.

"You're talking about coming from another planet and using the Einstein-Rosen Bridge to travel," Bruce concluded. Steve vaguely remembered Thor explaining to them the concept of Bifrost, his mode of instantaneous transportation from Asgard to Earth and vice versa.

"I haven't heard of Einstein-Rosen Bridge from where we came from, but no. I'm not talking about another planet. I'm talking about another set of universe apart from what you have here. The Multiverse Theory, if you have it," Five said. He frowned at Stark. "I thought you already got the idea, or at least S.H.I.E.L.D. does."

"I really thought you guys are escaping the torment of a third world country." Only Stark could be this flippant at the knowledge of another reality. "What is it like there?"

"It's shit," Five said after taking a huge gulp of his drink. Steve would have corrected the language if his mind wasn't busy processing the information. "And it doesn't have superheroes aside from me and my siblings."

"It's shit, because you don't have a version of me there. Seems legit," Stark commented.

"Then only you and your siblings got abilities in your world?" Bruce asked. "And your adoptive father raised you to be this group of superheroes."

"Correct, but it's not just the seven of us. There are thirty-six more out there that Reginald didn't manage to find. What happened to them, we don't know. If they are alive and well, then lucky for them to get spared from being bought by Reginald. Our adoptive father wasn't good at posing as a father, and his greatest legacy was locking Vanya away and using Allison to make her believe she didn't have one. The rest of us didn't know too until Vanya wrecked the mansion."

"Jesus Christ," Steve heard Bruce mutter. The small potted plant he was carrying earlier was resting beside him. Bruce said it was for Vanya, wasn't it?

"He's dead, and it's too late to give him a piece of mind. It's up to us to teach Vanya on how to wield it. We never intended to arrive here in another version of Earth where we don't exist, but then again we never prepared for the whole thing either. The Temps Commission were hot on our heels because of me, and we barely escaped with nothing but ourselves. It doesn't matter. I brought them with me, and that's enough."

Steve didn't know the whole truth, but he was ready to jump to conclusions earlier that the suggestion of the kids to be trained by the Avengers themselves was a flight of fancy. There was always another side to a story, and that fact didn't change over the years.

"Then we'll help you," he said without hesitation. "The Avengers protect all that lives here in Earth, and you and your family are part of this world now. Stark did the right thing by taking you from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands."

If Stark had stared at him oddly, it was covered by his sunglasses.

* * *

**Vanya**

"What's this?" she asked, poking at the plant with interest.

"It's called Valerian. The extract has a calming property, kind of like a sedative," Bruce informed her. "I have one in my room, given to me by the owner of the Asian tea house I used to frequent. I figured you should keep one in your bedroom too. Helps with relaxing."

"Thank you," Vanya said. The little plant was the first touch to her bare nightstand. "You shouldn't have bothered."

Bruce waved a hand dismissively. "If there's something I could do to help, I'd like to give a hand, especially to someone who's struggling the same way as I do."

Vanya blinked. Bruce was the same as her? Now that she thought about it, they said that the tower was the home of some of the Avengers, but it never occurred to her that Bruce was part of them. He was an amiable guy who avoided attention as much as he could. Well, Vanya shared the same demeanor, did it mean that… "You have powers too that you can't control."

He chuckled dryly. "It's not actually the kind of ability you and your siblings have, but let's just say the peace and quiet are preferable to my sanity and the nearby properties."

Five had given her and Allison a rundown of what the Avengers were. Apparently, her brothers had seen videos of them defending the city they were currently at against an alien invasion not long ago. Bruce was one of those defenders. "The aliens didn't stand a chance, did they?"

Bruce's smile was more amused this time. "They didn't."

He had given her his own small ways on de-stressing. Vanya wasn't a fan of tea, but it appeared that she would have to develop a taste for it. It wasn't that she couldn't drink coffee, but Bruce advised her to refrain from caffeine if she could. He must have seen her wince at that since Bruce assured her that milk before bedtime was also an alternative.

He told her to soak in a warm bath at least twice a day, preferably in the middle or at the end of the day. For the mornings, Bruce said that breathing exercises worked, and a little bit of soothing music to begin the day couldn't hurt.

"You said you play the violin. That could help," Bruce said. Vanya's recent memories playing the instrument weren't pleasant, but she could learn how to play it again for the sake of reigniting her love for it. "Then when you feel like it, you could play for us. I mean, Tony will probably fall asleep, but Pepper and I would like to hear you play. I'm sure you're good at it."

Vanya didn't make a promise, though she gave a nod as a warm feeling from the kind words spread inside her chest.

Bruce told her about meditation, and if she was up for it then he would teach her. "Or if yoga's more of your thing, though I can't help you with that. Not too flexible for that sort of thing," he muttered.

He added that keeping a journal and writing about her feelings could help. Vanya had written a book before, and she wondered why she never got around keeping a diary when she was younger. Maybe she could start as early as tonight.

"That's all what I can share to you. It's a tedious process, might not seem effective at the beginning, but we all start somewhere."

It took only two minutes for Bruce to realize he had been the only one talking for a while. Bruce didn't strike her as a particularly chatty person, and that must have been one of his few instances that said otherwise.

He was sheepish when he said, "Sorry about that. Too much info at once?"

Vanya shook her head, poking the Valerian. "It's fine. Thank you for troubling yourself with me. I might not be able to do them in one day, but I'll keep them in mind."

Bruce looked like he had more to say but was interrupted by Five who blipped to the room. It was funny how Bruce jolted like a bunny at her brother's sudden presence.

"Where are the books here?" Five's eyes swept around the room with no small amount of displeasure. When he spotted her and Bruce, his expression turned more amenable. "Jarvis said you're the person who keeps them."

"I only have a few, and they're literary fiction. Is that what you're looking for?"

"No," Five said shortly. "I need books on Physics and Astronomy."

"I could send you the e-books that I have. Tony lent you a tablet, I presume?"

At the mention of tablet, Five muttered a quick _never mind_ before disappearing.

When Bruce turned to her for answers, Vanya stared back equally confused.

* * *

**Five**

To be clear, he wasn't foreign to technology, though his last encounter with it was decades ago for him, and going back in time to stop the apocalypse didn't exactly give him the break to fiddle with the latest devices.

Five was just looking for books and instead he was given a gadget. "What's this?"

"A tablet."

"I know what this is, but I asked for books."

"You mean an actual book? Who needs that when you have internet and all access to every books?"

"Me."

"What are you, an old man?"

Five's lips twitched, torn between laughing sardonically at the accuracy of that and insulted at how Stark implied he was a technologically inept senior. "The internet has a lot of irrelevant and useless information. Helpful for global and local news, I admit, but only if you know how to discern from what is legitimate and fake."

"Or you just can't use the thing because you don't know how to," Stark said flatly, plucking the tablet from Five's hands and began a mock lecture with that annoyingly arrogant tone of his. "This is the power button, and the other two beside it are for the volumes. Now, this whole circle thing is multi-purpose. You use it for—"

Five was so close to hitting Stark with that tablet of his. Fortunately for Stark, Banner and another man came in. The Caucasian stranger was tall with blond hair and blue eyes and moved around stiffly with a bearing of a military man. Five's mind quickly connected the dots and figured that this was the Captain America.

There was only one Avenger left they were yet to meet.

To his knowledge, Captain America's abilities were comparable to Luther's, though how his brother would stack up against Captain America, Five didn't know yet. The Captain might have been mentioned as a super soldier in passing, and Five hardly had anything on what made a super soldier superior other than the physical attributes at peak performance level. Did they have a higher cognition than regular humans? Five would have to look it up as well.

The Captain was formal when he introduced himself. It set him apart from the residents of the tower he met so far. Pepper was the hospitable and cheerful type; Banner liked to keep to himself but didn't disregard their presence either; Stark was one of the uncouth person Five has ever met, and he has met a lot across several centuries. Though, if he was to look closely, there was more behind Stark's attitude, therefore Five categorized Stark's personality as a defense mechanism. For what, only Stark knew.

Didn't mean he wasn't good at pissing Five off.

Steve Rogers was another fundamental member of the Avengers next to Stark. Five knew he would have to pull him to their side as well. It wasn't difficult. Beyond his strict and serious disposition was a man who easily empathized with Five and his siblings despite not meeting the rest.

Five managed to get the interdimensional leap they did out of the way, explaining the situation minimally as he could. Banner, Stark, and Rogers drank it like water, the idea of another universe new to them. Banner was an academic, and he was the one who appeared the most thrilled at the proven concept of Multiverse. Stark reacted characteristically, all the while trying to unsettle the prim and proper Captain with his unconcerned behavior, and Rogers took it like it went in over his head. The lack of negative reactions would suffice for now.

Five broke from them the moment the conversation was over to check on his siblings. Ben and Klaus were together watching a film, which didn't surprise him. Ben might have better sense than Klaus, though Five expected him to retain a semblance of codependency. Having separate rooms was a first step forward for Ben to get used to his own space.

Luther and Diego were hitting the gym, unsupervised. Five supposed that was preferable. The two S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Avengers weren't present for the day, probably submitting their assessments. The gym has three cameras that were recording Luther and Diego's brawl—at least, that was what seemed to look like to Five with those boorish movements by his first two brothers who were both knuckleheads. Better that they were taking out their energies against each other, that way they could adjust to their thirteen-year-old bodies again.

Allison was with Pepper. What they were talking about, Five left them to it. He trusted Allison to take care of herself better than any of them.

"_May I help you with something?"_

Five paused on his way to Vanya. "Does this tower have a library?"

"_My apologies, but it does not have one."_

"Figures," he muttered.

"_But if you're looking for books, you can ask Dr. Banner. He's presently with Miss Vanya."_

"Thank you." Two birds with one stone then.

Vanya was holding a plant when Five found her. She seemed alright and amused: good signs in Five's book. Banner looked startled by his presence. What a paranoid man.

His search for books within the tower were futile. Five was tempted to accept Banner's offer but remembered Stark and knew he would criticize him again about the tablet.

He needed to get out to the city then, find a library and memorize the area. Once he did, he might bring his siblings with him, sneak with them to look for a diner opened at midnight. They were allowed to leave anytime of the day, but where was the fun in that?

"There you are," came Stark's voice, that damn tablet under his arm. "Still looking for books?"

"So what if I am?" Five huffed.

"Your determination to be traditional is admirable," Stark said. "Unless you're not into boring old plays and sappy romance novels, Bruce will hook you up on some."

"What do you want?" Five said impatiently. "I'll be stepping out and find a library."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Stark handed him the tablet. "Here. Library books mostly. Internet searches will be filtered more times than the coffee this morning. No need to bother with the buttons. Ask Jarvis for specific topics, and he'll download them straight to it."

Five narrowed his eyes at the gadget suspiciously. He made a grab for it, but Stark raised it again.

Stark tutted. "No porn. Jarvis will know what—"

Five swiped it from him midsentence before reappearing to his bed. Stark would talk his ear off if he stayed any longer.

When he spent the next five hours holed up and reading on the tablet, he was begrudgingly impressed at what Stark did with this device.

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

The plant and the Asian tea house Bruce mentioned are references to another crossover fic that I love. It's a Yu Yu Hakusho & Avengers crossover fic available in this site. The title is "Yume no Shokubutsu" by lalchan. Do check it out if you're interested. :)


	7. Face Down

Chapter title is from the same song title by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Unbeta-ed. Enjoy!

* * *

**Rhodey**

"Can we address the elephant in the room?"

"Now that's rude. They're not elephants."

James sighed exasperatedly. "You know what I mean."

"Cap watching M. Night Shyamalan?"

To be honest, that too. Why was Cap taking notes? "The two boys I'm seeing, Tony."

"Oh, them." Tony turned and called. "Hey, Klaus, Ben, say hi to the Colonel."

The two boys gave a wave before resuming their film showing. Cap sent him a nod that Rhodes returned.

"Are they yours?" he asked. "Tony, I swear, if they're yours and they're here with you without Pepper's knowledge, that's a very dick move."

"Pepper knows, and she took the two other girls out with her." Tony rolled his eyes. "And they're not mine, thank you very much."

"There's more of them? Then whose are they?"

"Long story short, they're staying with me, because the other choice is with S.H.I.E.L.D. and we all know what a kind of grandpa Nick will make."

"Wait, wait, wait. Back up." James raised a hand. "What does S.H.I.E.L.D. have anything to do with this?"

"They have powers, or did you miss that?"

"You didn't say that," he accused. "Powers? Oh great."

"They came from a wormhole too, if you want to know."

James doubted that Tony would be hospitable to beings who, like the Chitauri, came from a huge wormhole. "You mean like Thor? Did they come from Asgard?"

"Not like Thor. Abilities aside, they're humans. They said they came from another Earth."

"Since when is there another Earth? Last time I heard there are nine planets, then apparently there are more beyond those. Now you're telling me there's another Earth. What the hell." He wasn't even here for ten minutes, but James's head began to hurt. "Tony, be serious. What's going on?"

"That's exactly what's going on, swear to god." Hard to take it seriously when Tony said that in a deadpan voice. "Also, Pluto is no longer a planet."

"Not asking for an astronomy lecture," James grumbled, crossing his arms as he warily eyed the kids. "If you're right, is this not something we should worry about?"

"You think Fury didn't think that?" Tony scoffed. "Pretty sure he's still butt hurt, but he can't deny that I'm right. What is he going to do, lock them up?"

That sounded inhumane, not from this world or not. "And you? What are you planning with them, enroll them in a school, mix them with the other kids their age?"

"Lucky they didn't hear that, especially the old man," Tony muttered. There was an old man too? "No, Rhodey, he's not a literal old man, Jesus. He just acts like one. Makes you think of Cap."

James digested that first. "How many are they?"

"Seven siblings. Two girls and five boys. Getting real sausage-y around here."

James almost forgot the reason he was here, but he could say for sure it wasn't to be assaulted with Tony's quips. He would dwell on this sudden adoption thing later. "How are you?"

It had suspiciously taken Tony a while to answer. "Fine. All good."

James swiftly pulled Tony's sunglasses away and was met with a grimace and ugly dark bags under Tony's eyes. "When's the last time you slept?"

Tony stole his glasses back in irritation. "I'll have you know that I slept soundly last night for three hours."

"I don't believe you."

"Then don't," Tony replied casually.

James sighed. "Look, man. I'm worried, and Pepper will be, too, if you at least tell her what's wrong with you. She deserves to know that. You need all the support you can get."

"Yeah. I know. I'll tell her later."

James had known Tony for too long to know that he was too stubborn for his own good when it came to asking for help, especially concerning himself.

But as a friend, James trusted that Tony would address his bad reaction to the aftermath of the invasion, before it could turn even worse.

What Tony had seen, James could only imagine.

* * *

**Allison**

To her surprise, it was Pepper who approached her.

Allison avoided her as she could. She didn't like how Vanya was seemingly more comfortable with a stranger than her siblings. But who was Allison kidding? They weren't exactly doing a great job as Vanya's family.

When Pepper found her alone, she quietly poured her a glass of juice and a slice of apple pie. It was average, in Allison's opinion, but she wasn't expecting much from a career woman. Like what Allison was. She was never a good cook herself, was she? Claire and Patrick were simply persuaded to find anything she did more than satisfactory. The food suddenly tasted like sand in her mouth.

"Thanks," Allison said.

"How was it?" Pepper asked. "Last time I baked was for a bake sale in high school. Sorry if it tastes bad."

Allison could lie. The insincere praise was ready in her tongue. "I won't say it's bad. The crust is too soft, and the sourness overwhelmed the sweetness. Other than that, it's passable."

Pepper nodded, seemingly glowing despite the mediocre grade. "Well, more room for improvement. Thank you for the honesty."

Pepper was genuinely a nice woman, and Allison felt bad for being envious of the attention she was getting from Vanya.

"I think we need to get more clothes and stuffs you guys need. Will you and Vanya care to join me? It's a nice day out."

"Sure," Allison said with a perfect smile. "Have you asked Vanya?"

Pepper was delighted at Allison's immediate agreement. "Not yet. Do invite her if you saw her first. We could get lunch together."

Allison did saw Vanya first. She was with Bruce who was talking animatedly. Huh. Not so quiet a man, after all. Vanya was listening to him attentively, unable to notice Allison as she politely waited for them to finish.

"Hey," Allison called as Vanya put away her plant. "Pepper and I will be going out. She said you should join us."

She tried not to wince as Vanya visibly stiffened when she saw Allison. "Tell her thanks for inviting me, but, uh, the noise of the city is probably a bad idea. You know." When her gaze landed on Allison's neck, she looked away quickly, swallowing.

Allison could see her point, but she thought of Vanya being by herself again. She hated the way Vanya was distancing herself from her siblings. But then again there was the matter of Luther imprisoning her, _and _on top of that the apocalypse.

If Allison wanted to do this right, she could at least shoulder the biggest bulk in reconnecting with their sister. It was a start compared to how her brothers skirted around Vanya, unsure how to approach her.

"I think we can remedy that." She pulled out the phone and the noise-cancelling headphones she was given when she requested them from Tony. "A few music so far. I thought they'll be different from where we came from. Not so much."

Allison counted it as a win when Vanya didn't step back from her when she came closer. She hooked the headphones on Vanya's ears. "There. Just keep close to us so you won't get separated. You can hold my hand if you want."

"I'm not a child," Vanya said but didn't remove the headphones.

"Pepper doesn't know that, does she?"

"No, she doesn't." A small smile gradually appeared on Vanya's face.

"Come. Let's meet her downstairs."

For a moment, Allison thought Vanya would refuse the hand extended to her. After a brief hesitation, Vanya was on her side, their hands linked.

They would be fine.

* * *

**Klaus**

"I've been in Nam and none of them looks like that," he muttered.

"What?" Ben asked distractedly, eyes glued to the screen with the frown he usually has when he was trying to figure out the mystery of the movie.

"Why is that girl not blinking?" Klaus pointed out to the wife of the main character. "As I was saying, no soldier looks like that. Well, Dave was not the Adonis type of guy, but he was pretty so there's that," he added, his voice getting lower.

The last statement got Ben's attention. "I thought you're talking about _The Happening_."

"Nah. I'm talking about the captain. But still curious why Alma's not blinking."

"Of course she does," Ben defended. "And why are you talking about Captain America? He's literally a few feet away from us."

"Why do you think I'm whispering?" Klaus hissed. "All I'm saying is I don't buy him being a soldier before the Avengers business. A costume model, sure. Look at how the tight fit suits him." He jerked his thumb subtly at Captain America's direction. The man didn't even notice them talking about him, just as invested with the shit movie. Why did they even like it?"

"Are you seriously checking him out?" Ben hissed back incredulously.

"I'm not allowed to window shop?"

Ben sighed, edging closer before answering, "People will think it's weird that a thirteen-year-old is checking out a grown adult. _I_ think it's weird."

"But I'm thirty this year."

"Not the point, Klaus. We're supposed to be kids through and through," he reminded him. "Just enjoy the movie."

"I can't. It sucks," Klaus grumpily tucked his legs underneath his chin. "I bet this M. Night guy have shit movies. We just lucked out with the first one." Klaus didn't like _The Sixth Sense_,though. It couldn't have been that easy coping with your ability to see the dead.

"Can't judge them all after seeing only two," Ben insisted, reaching for the popcorn bowl that was becoming their lunch. Not that Klaus minded.

Goody. This guy was going to be Ben's favorite, wasn't he? And Klaus would get stuck as well watching terrible movies with him. He wanted to push the popcorn from the couch as a spite, but he wasn't looking forward to cleaning up the mess. In utter petulance, Klaus fervently hoped that Ben would accidentally tip the bowl over for blindly reaching for it.

When Ben did and the popcorn and salt spilled everywhere on the carpet, Klaus laughed.

It wasn't funny anymore when Ben roped him into cleaning it, ordering him to go to the broom closet. Klaus thought there were robots for that, given how futuristic Tony's tower was. Jarvis informed him that the broom closet was located three floors down, the last door to the right. Klaus couldn't believe that he would have to take the elevator to go up and down to get an old-fashioned broom. There better be a vacuum cleaner in there.

He hadn't been around this floor yet. Klaus wasn't keen on exploring unknown places, old or not. With a companion, no problem, but by himself, nope. There bound to be a stubborn soul that would latch itself to him.

Then Klaus learned that the tower didn't have any ghosts.

He would have thought that his powers weren't working, but then he remembered their landing in this world. In his eyes, they were confronted not only by those agents but also by ghosts attached to them, distinguishable with those bullet holes, slashed throats, grotesque wounds, hidden injuries—weren't so different from Hazel and Cha-Cha's victims, really, and quite a lot that Klaus thought there were forty to fifty people that found them. Talk about overkill.

He wasn't even aware it was possible to live in a place that wasn't haunted by any ghosts and live under the care of a man who didn't have any ghosts attached to him. Well, the mansion (aside from the mausoleum within the grounds) and Reggie didn't have one too, actually, but the latter was a special case. Hell, he probably wasn't human enough to have at least one ghost following him around, come to that.

To be specific, Klaus wasn't expecting to encounter another place and a person that was basically free of any spirits. He did take into consideration that they were presently in a different world and wondered if their heaven and hell worked the same way. Maybe the God here was a cowboy and the devil a giant mechanical spider or something.

Alright, so Tony didn't have any with him. Pepper's relatives must have been still around, because those were the only kind of ghosts Klaus could imagine getting attached to a lady like her. Bruce might have one—you never knew with the quiet ones—but he never lingered around for Klaus to find out.

Since they were put under Tony's care and lived with him, it was Klaus's most peaceful three days. Add to that was Ben no longer tailing him around as his conscience anymore. Ben had been ironically Klaus's sole real companion for years compared to their living siblings.

It wasn't comparable, however, to Ben's alive presence, because that was a thousand times better.

"Oh, it's one of them."

"Is that you, Jarvis?" Klaus asked, peering upwards.

"_I'm afraid I don't follow, Mister Klaus."_

"Hmm, I thought Tony overdid my accent, but listening closely, it did sound like me. Not exactly the same but similar," the same voice that Klaus heard mused aloud.

Klaus's head whipped to the source of the voice and found a man standing a few feet away from him, looking thoughtful. He was dressed neatly, not a crease on his black vest and trousers, and wearing white gloves and a tie perfectly done. He reminded Klaus of a butler with that getup.

He found Klaus attention fixed on him. "Why is he looking eerily at my direction?" he said, like he was wondering aloud. "Is he lost?"

"I'm not. I'm here to get a broom," Klaus answered. Didn't this man know how to keep his thoughts to himself? "Actually, is there a vacuum cleaner? Using a broom kinda seem weird, isn't it?"

The man's eyes widened. "Are you talking to me?" he asked. Funny, he _did _sound like Jarvis.

"Is there someone else here that I should be talking to?"

"_Mister Klaus, who are you talking to?"_

When realization dawned on the stranger's face, Klaus almost smacked his face for speaking so early.

"Not haunted, my ass," he muttered in exasperation.

* * *

**Pepper**

"Glad to have you again, Miss Potts," greeted Randy, a waiter she had befriended long ago, with a smile. "And you've brought two lovely young ladies with you. Your nieces?"

"In a manner of speaking," it was Allison who replied pleasantly. "Me and my sister are distantly related with Pepper in our mother's side."

Allison sent her a knowing glance, and Pepper would like to think that an understanding passed between them. Allison wasn't like Vanya in a lot of aspect; she was more confident, didn't seem the type to second-guess herself, and knew what she and her siblings liked. An example of the latter was when Pepper asked them what their brothers would have liked to have, and Allison readily gave her a list.

Pepper got Diego a leather jacket after Allison told her it wouldn't go amiss with him. There were also DIY wooden plane kits for Luther, because according to Allison that was his former hobby. They ended up buying plenty of books of different kind for Five and Ben, both textbooks and literary fictions chosen by Vanya. While Vanya was selecting a journal for herself, Allison mentioned that a set of make-ups and skirts would be appreciated by Klaus. Allison had been regarding her closely when she said it, seemingly testing Pepper for her reaction. Pepper recognized Allison's "big sister mode" in action, and she respected that, just as she respected what Klaus's preferences were. The three of them ended up brainstorming what colors would have suited their brother, and Pepper made a mental note to bring him next time when shopping for their wardrobes.

Allison never let go of Vanya since the car ride, keeping her close to her side with their fingers entwined. Pepper got the impression that Vanya was a bit distant to her siblings, and it was nice to see she got a strong relationship with her only sister, at least. Pepper almost felt like she was intruding when the two were talking in a vague manner, though they would bring her in the circle often and Allison would tell her anecdotes from their home life. The stories mentioned their father only in passing, usually revolving with their mom and their brothers' antics that were mostly Klaus's. Pepper enjoyed them, and she thought Allison as well whenever they made Vanya snort and giggle.

For a girl who was homeschooled and hadn't met a lot of people, Allison was a people person. She thrived on her interactions with others, always with a smile on her face. Allison was a lively girl where Vanya was the serene one, but at the end of the day, Pepper could imagine them staying late at night gossiping about boys and talking about trivial things.

"Can I ask you something?" Allison said by their dessert in a quiet nook of the establishment. "What's your reaction when Tony took us under his wing?"

Pepper took a bite off her cheesecake before replying, "I told Vanya this before, but the only notice I got was a call from him. He said that I shouldn't be surprise when I found seven kids at the tower. Did you know that the first thing I asked him was if you guys were his? Not my finest moment when I felt relieved that you weren't."

Allison giggled behind her milkshake, and Vanya hid a grin by taking a gulp of her smoothie.

"He had been adventurous for years before I met him, and while it's nice that he quitted that part of his lifestyle, I can't help but feel that a day will come and a kid will come knocking at the door and claim that he or she is Tony's from an encounter with his or her mother a decade ago," Pepper said, pushing the piece of dessert around on her plate. "You know what? It's not even what worries me. It's Tony's attitude that makes him think he's invincible. Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of him being one of Earth's heroes, but I fear for him sometimes, knowing he isn't the kind to ask around for help despite knowing he needs it. He wants to solve everything on his own." When she looked up, Allison and Vanya were staring at her with slight worry. "Oh, dear, I didn't mean to unload that to the both of you."

"We don't mind," Vanya said quietly. "I think you need to unburden yourself with these kinds of thoughts from time to time, or else they'll eat you slowly." She spoke like she was speaking from experience.

"Vanya's right. We might be too young, but we're here to lend an ear if you need it," Allison said. "Nothing will get out of this table."

It was like being a teenager again, Pepper thought idly with a smile. Ah, well, she has good listeners with good heads on their shoulders, and Pepper felt like making the most out of the moment. "But I love him, and after withstanding life-threatening situations with him, sticking my whole hand in his chest, I'm sure I can manage any hurdle that might come our way."

"Tony's a lucky guy to have a sensible woman who can control his impulses," Allison said, sounding far too old for her age.

"I'm not really an expert, but it's easy to tell that he cares about you a lot," Vanya inputted. "It's nice seeing how the two of you balance each other out."

Those weren't childish naivety, were they? In some ways they knew what they were talking about. Was it something they've seen at home between their parents? Pepper could only wonder.

* * *

**Luther**

He wasn't surprised when it was Diego who followed him to the gym.

Like Luther, Diego was having qualms mingling with the other people living in the tower. They were pleasant, that was clear, but it wasn't fair that within three days they knew about a lot about them. Five seemed to think it would be advantageous to show their abilities but keep secret of their time travel. Personally, Luther thought their ace hardly amounted to anything.

"I don't get why they're easy around them," Luther spoke with a frown, trying out a weight. "Do you think it was a good idea to show them our powers?"

Diego shrugged, but there was a noticeable edge on his shoulders. "Five thinks so. Besides, what are they gonna do about it?"

"A lot." They were already monitoring them, and the knowledge of what Vanya could do alone was valuable. "Even Five seems to trust them quickly."

"You know him. He got a plan. Probably. Did bust out our asses from the apocalypse." Diego stretched.

"And landed us here, far from where we're supposed to be. Literally worlds away."

Diego paused from working his neck. "And you're being ungrateful," he deadpanned before shaking his head. "S-Seriously?"

"I don't mean to sound like that," Luther amended. "All I'm saying is are we really safe here? Is this place a better alternative from what we escaped from. Vanya is with us, and what if we can't fix her and she caused the end of the world in this place?"

"Wow. 'Fix' her?" Diego scoffed. "What i-is she, a broken t-toy?" His voice rose volume higher.

"The word isn't even mine, Diego," Luther said as calmly as he could. He almost forgot how much shorter Diego's patience for him. "What I said is reasonable, and we should be prepared for the worst."

"The only way it'll come to w-worst is if we failed her again j-just like we did the last time," Diego said. "And the fact that you're avoiding h-her doesn't help o-one bit."

Luther didn't deign him with an answer. The reason why should be obvious already.

"Y-You haven't even a-apologized yet."

He sighed. It wasn't only Vanya that he owed an apology. "I know that."

"Then why not?"

"I'd rather not talk about this, Diego." Luther had been mulling over his actions and did find them wrong. There was no need for Diego to rub it on his face like Five did.

"Why aren't you m-making the effort to avoid it from h-happening again?"

"Are you?" Luther snapped. "Last time I checked, it's Allison who's doing all the heavy lifting in mending the bridge," he retorted. "Why aren't you doing the same?"

That seemed to trigger even more Diego's somewhat foul mood. "I'm not the one w-who called her a b-bomb, nor am I the one who i-imprisoned her."

Luther's face went stricken. "I did, and I was being rational."

"You were being s-stupid because Allison got a-accidentally hurt by our own sister who n-needed our help. It's a-always about Allison first with you. Is it because of what you two have that the rest of us are only s-second to that?" Diego said heatedly.

Luther refused to rise to the bait. "And you're being immature by trying to pick a fight with me."

Diego snorted. "You s-started it with all this bullshit of yours. You can't e-even trust our own b-brother to make the best judgement for us."

It shouldn't be even like that, one person deciding for the rest. Shouldn't they all learn that for themselves? "Leave me alone, Diego. Join the others up there. Or Pepper. She's a nice woman, reminds me of Mom. You'll get along just fine."

Luther wouldn't call the fist that connected with his face unexpected the moment he said the words, and yet the force of the blow made him stagger back.

"D-Don't you forget that it's your stupidity that led to M-Mom's death," Diego growled as he grasped Luther's shirt. There was only an inch difference between their heights now compared before, and Diego definitely didn't miss on that. "I'm n-not replacing M-Mom!"

"You said that, not me," Luther replied evenly, catching an incoming punch to his face but was unable to dodge the other hand directed to his side. He suppressed a wince and extricated himself from Diego's hold. He didn't want to hit back, not when Diego was incredibly high strung. Luther should have noticed it earlier. "Diego, stop this."

"Don't t-tell me, t-that despite being far a-away from h-home, traveled b-back in t-time, y-you're still D-Dad's lapdog!" Diego was instantly on him again, digging his finger on his chest.

Luther batted away Diego's hand with more force than necessary. "I'm not his lapdog, and don't bring Dad to this!"

"You brought u-up Mom, so why s-shouldn't I bring up your f-favorite parent?" Diego sneered. "I thought f-finding out that he sent you off to the fucking m-moon for no reason will w-wake you, but you're s-still the same o-old Luther w-who never grew up and l-left Dad's s-shadow!"

When Luther grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him sideways, he liked to think it was payback from when Diego slashed his arm at Dad's funeral. Diego goddamn deserved it, for all his words of disrespect to the man who raised and cared for them.

The ugly sound of Diego crashing against the equipment brought Luther to his senses right then, panic creeping in upon realizing he used his strength on his unarmed brother.

Shit. Shit. _Shit_.

Luther immediately rushed to his side. "Diego, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Shut the fuck up, Luther." Diego groaned as he adjusted himself on the floor to get more comfortable as he could with the obvious pain. His back looked alright if he could move like that. "Thank god this room is padded. Will have a bad bruise, though."

"I'm sorry," Luther repeated, slumping beside Diego. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Would have done the same if I have a knife. Fair game, I guess."

"It's stupid."

"You are," Diego agreed. "So am I. Used to think Dad didn't make me Number One because of my temper. I hated you for it. Then I found out that Mom was better than Dad anyway, but I guess the jealously and resentment never left me." He rubbed on his face. "I'm such a fucking hypocrite," he muttered.

Luther silently regarded him, recalling that it was Diego who had first outwardly shown his displease to Vanya for writing the book. Nobody knew what made her did it, but then again no one has been in her shoes to understand her. By the looks of it, Diego was thinking the same thing. "Can you stand?" Luther asked instead. "We need to get your back looked at."

"I'm fine, just not in the mood to stand up yet." Diego removed his arm from his eyes, blinking up at him. "You look like shit," he pointed at Luther's broken nose and a split lip. "How's that for a guy who doesn't have super strength?"

"You punch like a girl," Luther replied without heat, wiping away the blood from his nose and not making a move to stand from his position. They could stay here longer with all the time they have.

Diego smirked. "We have two badass sisters. I'll take that as a compliment."

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

Hopefully by next chapter, I might be able to answer your questions about Klaus and the ghosts at the tower. :)

It might seem that they're holed up at the tower without action, but it has been only three days so far in the story, and I want to focus on their internal conflict as a family first before they go out to the world and kick ass. Thank you for holding out this far. :)


	8. Hold The Line

I noticed that I made a mistake with Edwin Jarvis's name by naming him Edward. Corrected it now.

Chapter title is from the same song title by Toto

Unbeta-ed. Enjoy!

* * *

**Five**

The last time he checked on his brothers, they were on better condition than _this_.

There was an unmistakable worry painted on Ben's face that was directed to Klaus sitting beside him. Klaus, meanwhile, was fidgety on his seat, eyes unfocused as they darted at every corners of the dining room but clear enough to show that he wasn't under the influence of drugs. Klaus's attention stayed on a spot left of the head of the table, rolling his eyes and thoroughly bummed by whatever he found there that only he could see. A ghost?

Luther and Diego looked like shit, but the former was worse with his split lip and bruised nose. Diego might have looked better, though he wasn't fooling anyone with that gritted teeth and grimace of pain he could barely hide when he was moving about or settling his back against a chair.

What the hell happened in the span of five hours?

Both his sisters, at least, were faring well. Allison was situated comfortably on Vanya's side, and when she asked what happened to Luther and Diego, she received a vague response and a not-so-straight look. If not for her apparent good mood, it was evident that she wanted to give them her piece of mind. Five wouldn't even stop her.

"Fun day?" Stark asked as his eyes wandered around the table, stuffing his mouth with noodles.

Stark called for numerous Chinese takeout, pizzas, donuts, chips, and cheeseburgers, much to Pepper's chagrin at finding out that nobody bothered with lunch, as if she was expecting Stark to be the second responsible adult around. Bruce was absent, wisely staying where he was, and the Captain had already left earlier. Stark insisted that they eat on the dining table what basically amounted to junk foods, though it was a valid reason to get the coffee flowing at this time of the day therefore Five wasn't about to complain. Moreover, as someone who lived off of _anything _he could find decent to eat for years in the almost barren future, this was a feast to him; a feast that heightens cholesterol but a feast, nonetheless.

When Stark didn't drop the 'old man' nickname, Klaus mistakenly thought Stark was already informed of Five's time traveling situation. Five didn't bat an eye when he kicked Klaus on the shin to silence him.

There was a banter between Pepper and Stark, from one end of the table to another, though what Five could mostly gather was that Pepper had beaten Stark to the outing with the kids, that online shopping was a thing these days, and the frequent 'very initiative of you, hon' from Stark. Pepper was, fortunately, exhibiting an admirable propriety against the saucy winks and double entendre thrown by her significant other across the table.

It took a huge effort to not cringe at Stark's ridiculous one-liners, and it made Five overwhelmed by the sheer normality of what passed as dinner.

He was the first to excuse himself from the table.

He went over his equations once more, finding it odd that he arrived at three distinct answers using the same formula. He got dressed for sleep but occasionally returned to the kitchen for his nightly fix. There was a fresh pot ready that he took advantage of, bringing a cup back to his room. By ten o' clock, his computations exceeded the limited supply of papers he has. He asked Jarvis for more—or better yet, a whiteboard and a marker. The AI told him they would be ready tomorrow.

Five wouldn't get to sleep for a few more hours, with the amount of caffeine he consumed for the third time tonight, so he did more digging on the internet, and by then, he deemed it one of the most useful invention of mankind. Finding more about Stark and Stark Industries in between refills in the kitchen was a sure way to kill the time, he thought, unless there came something more important, namely Ben's presence.

"Water," Ben said, almost sheepish for interrupting Five. He reached for the tap and filled a glass. "It's late."

"I should say the same," Five said. "I'm reading."

Ben hummed against the glass. "There will be more of that tomorrow. Pepper and our sisters got us some. Been reading this one called _Harry Potter_. Remind me to lend it to you sometimes."

"Mine was theory of relativity of this Earth," Five said flatly. "There are more pressing topics than fiction."

"Explains why there are textbooks on physics and astronomy. If you bothered to use your bedroom door, you'll find them there."

Five doubted that the titles weren't among the tablet e-books. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"Thank those who got you them." Ben shrugged, pulling a stool. "Hey, you mind if you share it with me?"

Five poured him a cup of coffee and pushed it towards his brother who murmured his gratitude.

"It's bitter, but I can see now why you like this." Ben put two more cubes of sugar.

Five watched him amble towards the refrigerator for milk and created a mixture that suited his taste. The coffee was brown when Ben decided that he liked it.

"Not that I mind the company, but why are you still up?" Five asked. Out of the rest of his siblings, he found Ben to be the most preferable to be alone with. Before his disappearance from the Academy, time often passed them by together in companionable silence, both occupied by whatever books on their hands.

"Can't sleep."

"Is that why you're wandering around?"

"I'm not." Ben wasn't looking at Five when he said it. "Just thirsty."

Ben was searching for something… someone, Five concluded. "You're looking for Klaus," he stated.

"Not so much as looking," Ben admitted. "I'm waiting for him. I thought he'll sneak in again. He said he was antsy from staying away from his vices. Glad he's holding out this long. Maybe he fell asleep already. Dunno."

Five frowned. "He seems distracted earlier."

"He is. He keeps saying it's nothing, as if I didn't catch him staring on an empty space." _It's worrying me_, was the bit left unsaid. "I kinda wish I'm ghost again so I can see what it is."

"Don't," Five snapped quickly. He caught his tone, before repeating more firmly: "Don't say that."

"Hey, I don't—Geez." Ben grinned ruefully. "I'm not saying I want to be dead again. It's the somewhat omnipresent thing you're allowed as a ghost and the fact that you see what you used to think aren't real. Not fun to be not seen and believed to be there by the living, though, so being alive topped it all hands down."

Five took a big gulp of his drink. "What does it feel like, being on the other side?"

"It's neither cold, nor warm," Ben said in recollection. "You're frequently confused where you are. You don't know when and where you'll appear, because it all depends on Klaus. I think I was lucky that Klaus was just as lonesome that he needed my company." He stared distantly, way beyond where Five was. "You know what? They were nothing on watching your brother waste away his life because nobody was there for him. Klaus is just as disconnected as Vanya, when you think about it, with all the things he could see that none of us could."

It was Klaus's curse, the same way each of them have with their powers. Luther, whose ability was the least special, was honed to be the leader by their father and turned out to be the most molded to absorb Reginald's principles. Diego was stuck to be second only to Luther, equally seeking their father's approval that he never got and caused him to be attached to an artificial person programmed to be what Reginald wasn't. Allison's came from nature of the foundation of her ability, where lies became truth, and after growing up under the relish of her powers, everything else was easy. She wasn't wrong to question if all she built had been based on lies. Five's ability to time travel gave him the thrill of recklessly diving between timelines, and look where that led him, stuck alone on a wasteland for four decades. Ben was destroyed by the very same creatures he manipulated, leading to his early grave. Vanya was cursed with the destructiveness of what she was capable of, pushing Reginald to do his worst. There was no excuse for what he did, but somewhere in Five's mind, he understood what forced him to.

"I wasn't there," Five said, an apologetic edge in his voice. He _was_ sorry for his own self and family. He had gotten ahead of himself and didn't heed Reginald's warning.

Ben looked at him funny, probably thinking he was unintentionally guilt-tripping Five. He wasn't. Five's regrets for leaving, missing Ben's death, and not being there as the semblance of a family they managed to build had fallen apart piece by piece, that was all his own. "I guess if there's an upside in you being stuck in the future, it's that you missed all the family drama," he said ruefully.

Five's lips quirked. "Refill?"

Their lives could have been one giant soap opera of a dysfunctional family, and Five wouldn't mind. At least he was part of it this time around.

* * *

**Jarvis**

He wasn't a deeply religious man, but on his deathbed, the concept of heaven and hell had been constant in his head. He had been aware of how his mind wandered during his final weeks, drifting on distant memories of his younger years, mostly of Ana who had already passed on five years before. On her final hours, she had hoped that she would go on to paradise where everything was perfect, where she would wait for him patiently. Jarvis assured her that a person like her wouldn't have any problems crossing the realm of her God. She was a good person, and he confessed that didn't know how he deserved a wife like her.

His time came in a summer evening, and there Ana stood, with her young face and ginger curls, wearing her favorite flowery dress. She beckoned him to come with her, and Edwin readily followed.

There was no paradise afterwards, only a one-way mirror where he could watch the state of the living after he left it. Ana apologized that it wasn't what he expected, but frankly, anywhere with her was paradise. Edwin was happy to remain like this if it meant forever, so long that he got Ana beside him.

Maria appeared next to Edwin after his funeral, but Howard was missing. When Edwin asked, his mistress said that Howard attached himself to their killer, because their deaths turned out to be not an accident. She didn't elaborate, saying there were two places she would be fleeting back and forth to, one by Howard's side and one by Tony's. Edwin recalled mourning for his late master and mistress, mourned for Tony who couldn't grieve for his parents. Maria bid him and Ana farewell and said that they would be seeing each other around.

There was something informative observing people while invisible. You learn about an individual: their ticks, their triggers, their reasons, their stories. There was no concept of time in the afterlife, therefore boredom was never an issue. Sometimes he spent it talking to Ana or some ghosts that he met.

Oftentimes, he would watch Tony.

Edwin's duty as a butler of the family might have been over, but not to Tony. It wasn't unlike when he was alive, watching Tony built and built day and night as he forgot to eat and sleep that even Ana would express her own concern. Tony was the closest to a son they never had, and it had pained them to see how distantly he grew with his father, and even his mother whom Tony was fonder of among his parents.

What Edwin didn't like was Tony mourning during evenings for two months since his passing. It frustrated Edwin to no end, not being able to do anything but stand there and watch. When he tried to touch Tony's shoulder, his hand passed through, and it dawned to him that he would spend his eternity watching Tony like this.

Edwin held optimism that Tony would overcome the grief. And he did, little by little, until the indifference that he saw in Tony developed into an integral part of him. Tony was detached from the people around him and the world, except to his inventions. He might not have liked to hear it, but there was more Howard in him than Maria.

Tony was of brilliant mind, and as Edwin watched him excel even more and had those around Tony gravitate towards that bright man, Edwin also saw how more and more layers Tony placed. It was too late to realize that Tony had been an adult years ago in all sense but the age.

Edwin and Ana were with Maria, watching as Tony drank, got involved with various affairs with women, sleeping minimally within three days, eat whatever he could find—if he could remember—and if he wasn't drowning himself in alcohol, it was caffeine. Never once did Maria showed her disapproval, nor did they saw her smile.

There was happiness for Edwin here, but not for his mistress.

Tony spared Stark Industries with littlest of his attention, and his lifestyle went on. Edwin then noticed, slowly, how there were more and more ghosts that he could see around. They were less solid than him, Ana, and the mistress, and they spoke a foreign language. Their grotesque forms were disturbing for they weren't dissimilar to corpses of war after a bombing, and what threw Edwin unbalanced was that they were spirits angry at Tony.

It all clicked when Tony was kidnapped in Afghanistan for three months, injured by the same explosives from Stark Industries.

The three of them were there, helpless as Tony was detained in a cave, a piece of shrapnel precariously near his heart. There was an ugly churn in their nonphysical bodies, expecting Tony to appear next to them as he flitted in and out of consciousness. It was when Maria's stony face cracked, crying for her son.

Edwin wasn't a religious man, but he prayed to any deity that was listening to save Tony. By some miracle, _somebody _listened and gave Tony the strength and will to survive and engineer a weaponized metal suit, of all things.

The kind man who kept Tony alive during his captivity made a brief appearance. They thanked them, and Maria pulled him in a tight embrace, murmuring her gratitude fervently. His name was Ho Yinsen, and he smiled at their kind words. There was contentment in his weary face as he bid his goodbye, saying that he best be on his way for his wife and daughters were waiting for him.

Edwin remembered staring at Ana, and only then did she explained that she could have been there, too, as she waited for him, and so Edwin understood what, or rather who was keeping them.

He didn't mind. Tony might not be able to see them, but they have to be there to support him. Edwin was glad when Tony took at heart Yinsen's last words for him about not wasting his life. He struggled, but he found his purpose, found a better use for his genius mind. It was a dangerous motivation that placed his life on the line more times they could count.

Tony ultimately uncovered his true enemy who used the Stark Industries to manufacture weapons that powered wars and caused the deaths of the ghosts that lingered around him. Obadiah Stane was a spiteful spirit that even after death he was jealous and full of hatred. He was chained for a while, incapable of moving on due to not finding peace, but he was powerless against them, Tony's guardians, and the hoard of hateful ghosts of people that he indirectly killed. Stane's downfall on the other side caused peace to some of the ghosts that haunted Tony, while there were some who lingered still, but they were less malicious and often young victims who weren't mature enough to know what was happening and what to do next without guidance.

Edwin learned that as a well-formed ghost, he was given a semblance of ability to keep away the obstinate spirits who would want to trouble Tony. Tony didn't have the extrasensory perception, Edwin was sure, but vengeful spirits could sometimes find a way to intend harm if they were immensely determined, like Ivan Vanko who had given them a hard tim. In the end, they prevailed in keeping Tony undisturbed from the other side.

The days and years that passed Tony also flew by Edwin, Ana, and Maria. Tony found true loyalty from his long-time best friend, Colonel Rhodes, and an honest companionship from Pepper that put a satisfied smile in Maria's face. He got a friend in one Happy Hogan, and while Tony's circle was small, it eventually grew amidst his fame as Iron Man. Edwin was there when Tony improved the AI named after him and incorporated it to his Iron Man suit. JA.R.V.I.S.'s voice might not have sounded the same as Edwin's, but it was gratifying to be commemorated this way.

Tony became part of a team of heroes that defended the Earth. An unlikely group of people that worked out against aliens. Edwin would have called it bollocks if he hadn't seen them for themselves, but in the ever-changing world where Tony was living, what was even impossible?

He might have been on life-threatening situations that had his friends and love-ones waiting with baited breaths for his safety, but Tony was happy in his profession where he found meaning to the life he used to be detached with. The indifference he grew accustomed to was no longer there, especially when he took in the seven children that seemingly came out of nowhere one day.

There were doubts on Tony's ability to handle them. Edwin, meanwhile, knew how hard Tony was trying to do it right. Tony's decision was spontaneous like most of his past decisions were, but Edwin was confident that he made the right call. Tony needed the kids just as they needed him, and while the results were yet to be apparent, Edwin hoped for lesser nights of Tony's fitful sleep.

What Edwin wasn't counting on, though, was one of the kids being able to see and hear him.

"You can see me?" he asked once the initial shock wore off. "You can even hear me!"

The boy eyed him wearily. "I thought the tower doesn't have a ghost. I thought Tony doesn't have any ghost with him."

"There had been some here, before, but they've been fended off." He could see the dead, Edwin realized in excitement. The boy could see the dead. "This—you have powers."

"So are my six other siblings," the boy said in mild disinterest. "You didn't answer me."

"What did you ask again?"

"If there's a vacuum cleaner."

"Oh. There is. There's a scrub and mop as well," Edwin said helpfully. "What is your name?"

"Klaus," the boy said, almost hesitant to tell him. "You're weird."

"No, I'm Edwin Jarvis. Nice to meet you, Klaus."

"Damn, I'm not even spared from the dad jokes." Klaus pulled a face. "And you're weird," he repeated. "For a ghost."

"Am I?" Edwin humored him. There was giddiness in knowing Klaus, a living boy who could see a dead man's spirit. "What makes you say that?"

"For one, they don't introduce themselves to me like an English gentleman," Klaus said dryly, settling for the broom and mop.

"You haven't met an English ghost?"

"Mister, I've met a lot of ghosts my entire life—English, America, Russian, Asian—but very few of them are as polite as you," he said. "They usually harass me the moment they realize I could see them."

"Now that's rude," Edwin said disapprovingly. The idea of ghosts alone scared kids of Klaus's age, what more an actual one causing trouble? "What do you do?"

"Pretend they're not there, but that's easier said than done, yeah? Let's just say I improvise in distracting myself." Klaus was thoughtful for a second. "Why haven't I seen you around?"

"I'm often where Master Tony currently is, but this floor is also where I'd like to think I live."

"Huh. You don't happen to be related to that guy, are you?" Klaus asked, pointing at the ceiling.

"I'm in fact the person the AI is named after," Edwin said agreeably. "I used to be the butler of the Starks, and the AI was initially created as a household assistant."

"How did that work out? He doesn't have a body."

"Yes, but he can do the basics errands such as placing calls and orders."

"Makes sense." Klaus glanced at Edwin, stared as if waiting for Edwin to say something. When he remained quiet, the boy sighed. "And you?"

"Oh, I've been around for eighteen years with my wife and Master Tony's mother since I died. They're not here at the moment, but you'll see them around later. I'm sure they'll be glad to know that a boy can see and talk to them. Not that we grow weary of each other's company, but we can only do so much as ghosts."

"That long?" The boy grimaced. "You got a pretty intense grudge or something?"

"No, not at all. I died in my own bed, and so was my wife before me, though I can't say the same for my late mistress," Edwin shared. He never asked again about Howard and Maria's deaths, but it was clearly a foul play. "But I assure you, we aren't tied here by a grievance."

"Lemme guess." Klaus crossed his arms challengingly. "You weren't satisfied with your life. Servitude and all that."

"Ah, no. I'd like to think I lived fruitfully and had my fair share of excitement," said Edwin with a beam. He recalled working with Agent Carter who had been active in her prime years. Edwin was happy that she didn't miss out a lot in her life despite that. "Being here is a choice that I and my wife made long ago: staying by Master Tony's side."

"I don't believe you." Klaus was bafflingly defensive. "You can't be here and want nothing. The fact that you're here happy that you're talking to me says otherwise. Spit it out now while I'm here so you won't bother me later upstairs."

"Is it really that unbelievable that I'm merely delighted to know someone like you who's capable of talking to me?" Edwin asked gently after a careful consideration. "Haven't you encountered a late close relative who might be the same? In my experience with fellow ghosts, it was typically a grandparent. Didn't you—"

Klaus gave him a scowl before angrily running through him towards the elevator.

"That was very tactless of you," Ana said reproachfully later when Edwin told her what happened. "You were asking if the boy lost a family. What if he had? That's not nice."

"I know. I suppose I got excited. We never encountered a person like him, somebody who truly has the sixth sense."

"And he's a boy, and judging by the reputation of ghosts to him, he doesn't have pleasant encounters with the like of us," she said, ever the reasonable. "You should apologize."

He did—or tried to. Klaus was determined to ignore his presence around the dining room. Edwin hadn't been in the same room with Klaus and his siblings before. And Klaus said they all have powers? Intriguing.

Edwin also couldn't help but observe that together with Tony and Pepper, they make a huge family of nine.

They broke separately afterwards, with Klaus rushing on his way to his room without looking at his way, purposely avoiding him. Edwin could easily follow, but that would be intruding. He waited patiently for Klaus to emerged, until he made up his mind to leave the boy be.

Two hours before midnight, Klaus came looking for him, clad in his pajamas and a blanket around his shoulders, at the same floor they first encountered each other.

"What you said earlier," the boy began first, almost breathless. Had he been running? "About fending away the ghosts. Is it true?"

Klaus was a growing boy who needed at least eight hours of sleep, yet Edwin couldn't find it in him to send Klaus away. Certainly not an interesting, curious kid.

"It is." Edwin smiled amiably, asking, "Now what would you like to know?"

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

Good news for the readers: I'll be having a beta for the next chapter onwards. Finally, you'll be done with my unbeta-ed chapters. :)

You guys have been asking for more Klaus + Tony bonding, and I hope the beginning of Klaus + Jarvis friendship is a huge giveaway to the Klaus + Tony you're looking for. :)


	9. Believer

This is an ubeta-ed chapter that I'll be replacing later with the beta-ed one once my beta is done. I got excited and wanted to update the fic. Sorry for this, morrismsteph. :(

Chapter title is from the same song title by Imagine Dragons. Enjoy!

* * *

**Vanya**

There was a violin case right outside her door.

She carried it in, unclasping the lid to see her new violin from Stark. Once she opened the case, she let out a small gasp.

While her old one had a more utilitarian appeal with how simple it was in design, this one has a dark brown finish and an intricate woodwork on the side, a display of a craftsman's delicate masterpiece. Vanya almost didn't want to touch it, afraid that she would somehow tarnish the impeccable, dark brown finish, but eventually gave in to the temptation and placed it on her shoulder.

It was lighter than what Dad had given her, and there was the distinct smell of cedar that was pleasing to the senses. Vanya glided the bow across the strings and took in the sound of the short notes she made. It felt right to be in her hands, like it was something she could call hers. She had no problems playing with her previous violin, loved it, even, but there had been a part of Vanya that thought it never quite belonged with her, that the violin would solely be with the only person who originally had it.

She carefully laid the instrument down before making her way downstairs. There was a small smile on her face that she didn't realize having, until Ben took notice of it once she reached the kitchen.

"Good morning, Vanya," Ben greeted with a grin. "Had a good sleep?"

"Good morning, Ben, Pepper," she said to the two people present, smiling meekly. "Yeah, I did. And I got a new violin earlier."

"Oh? That arrived earlier than expected," Pepper said thoughtfully. "Pancakes for you, Vanya?"

She nodded at the offer, intending to seat across Ben when he gestured to the empty stool next to him. Vanya quietly made her way to him. Ben has always been nice to her, and she regretted that this was the first time they've been together alone since coming here. She missed him just as well.

"You should try the chocolate syrup with maple," he suggested when Vanya was served with her breakfast. He stuffed his mouth with a forkful of pancakes, a display that Dad would surely disapprove but made Pepper hid a smile, asking if Ben would like more.

Vanya drizzled hers with both chocolate and maple syrups. It was a tad too sweet for her palate, though delicious like Ben said. It wouldn't hurt to try it occasionally.

Diego came in, somewhat surprised that Ben and Vanya were already there. He sat across them, muttering a 'good morning' under his breath and a quick 'thanks' at the plate pushed his way. Vanya could see that Diego winced on his seat, his back apparently hurting since last night. Allison said something about him and Luther hitting each other. It made Vanya think that it must be their way of bonding with each other.

"Hey, I'd like to hear you play a piece," Ben suddenly told her when he was finished with his food. "I've always been partial with the Spring of Four Seasons."

"Is it your favorite?" Vanya asked.

"Not really, but hearing it makes me feel posh," Ben admitted.

"It does have that kind of effect," she agreed. "I'd love to, but, you know." She glanced apologetically at him. "I don't think I should."

Pepper, who was listening to the conversation, asked, "Why not? I'd like that too."

Oh, right, she didn't know. "Um, it's about my powers. It's tied with my playing, and I can't… I can't properly control it yet."

"Is that so?" Pepper looked disappointed but was more worried. "Well, alright. I'm sure you're doing your best anyway," she said. "We'll hear from you soon, how's that?"

"Of course," Vanya told her, for some reason feeling optimistic that she would get it right soon. It was hard not to hope with Pepper and Bruce eager to hear her perform.

When Pepper left to rouse Stark, Ben leaned towards Vanya. "You don't have to be careful around me," he said. "I can listen to you today, if you want."

"It's dangerous, Ben," she reminded him. Had he forgotten already what he did? She knew Ben was around within the eight days towards the world. Why was he so casual about this?

"It's linked to your emotions, right? What if you're happy when you're playing? Will it be bad?"

The effect wouldn't be disastrous, she knew, remembering the audition she did.

"I mean, you are, right?" Ben asked sheepishly. "Or at least, you're not that mad anymore with us, are you?"

Vanya couldn't be mad at Ben, certainly not to somebody as forthcoming as him. She wasn't mad to any of them, really, only felt tired and fed up with the lie she grew up with. She wasn't even mad at Luther, because she understood how important and special Allison was to him, and when that someone was hurt, you would do the unthinkable. Like what she did when she cared for Leonard, when she thought he was truly hurt defending her.

"Vanya? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said, sniffing a bit. "I'm fine."

"You're not. You're not fine." It came from Diego. When Vanya glanced at him, he swallowed, looking down on his plate like a chastised kid. "I mean, it's o-okay not to be f-fine."

Ben's eyes were lit with what was akin to satisfaction with Diego's answer. "What he said. We care, Vanya, though we failed to show that when it mattered the most. There's a lot of work to do, but we also have plenty of time to prove that to you. And we hope you'll let us in again."

Vanya was speechless. Ben was never the talkative one, but once he spoke, he was eloquent and nothing short wiser than Vanya. Was there wisdom gained in being a passive observer for years? Perhaps. Perhaps Ben had been watching his brothers and sisters for too long, unable to stop those he left from distancing from each other.

"Thank you, Ben. Diego." she said, as gratitude was only what came to mind. "I'll make it right this time."

They were complete now, after all.

* * *

**Klaus**

One of the perks of living with Tony was that Klaus get to oversleep, like how he could once he left the Academy. Living in a tower owned by a billionaire was worlds away (pun intended) in comparison to living in a mansion owned by another billionaire. Tony was a pretty chill guy who let them mind their own businesses. Frankly, Klaus wouldn't mind being stuck here.

"Master Klaus, I suggest rising up or else you'll be late for breakfast."

Okay, so while Edwin's calm, British voice was loads preferable than the bell Reggie used as an alarm like the soldiers that they were, Klaus began to rue making the acquaintance with the ghost butler last night.

"I didn't ask for you to wake me up," Klaus groused against the pillow. He raised his head, frowning deeply at Edwin's imposing presence by the side of the bed. "When did you enter my room?"

"A short while ago," Edwin confessed. "I wanted to knock, but I couldn't. My apologies, but you do need to rise."

"I hate you," Klaus mumbled half-heartedly, burying his face against the sheets in hopes of sleeping again, though ultimately finding it difficult when a ghost was hovering in wait. "Fine."

Klaus warned him to not follow to the bathroom. He knew he wouldn't, but it was fun to pick on Edwin. Klaus didn't get to do that with any other ghosts aside from Ben, and most were not this… genial to him. Before Ben, he used to think that Casper was the only friendly ghost, who also happened to be a fictional character so that alone must have been a sign.

An old ghost like Edwin Jarvis has a lot of knowledge regarding his kind. Albeit spending several late hours, the talk with Edwin last night had been informative than any of the training Reggie subjected Klaus into. And Edwin was nothing but a patient man—Klaus supposed he had to if he managed to deal with a teenage Tony—and a natural lecturer. He was also a good listener, which was a plus when Klaus was struck with the urge to open up with his experiences with ghosts, with the exemption of his trips to the mausoleum and Ben's former state.

Edwin told him about his years existing as a spirit and what he noticed regarding ghosts. Vengeful spirits tended to linger until their deaths were righted, usually with people who died bearing deep-seated grudges and terribly regrets. The same kind were not as 'whole' in appearance as how he appeared to Klaus, and Edwin told him that it was also how he saw them. These were particularly what haunted Tony, Edwin said, back when his company was secretly dealing arms to terrorists without Tony's knowledge, and when the person behind it died, the hateful ghosts followed that man and took him down. Whether figuratively or literally, Edwin didn't say. He told Klaus that existing on the other side for too long had given him a capability to send minor spirits away so that they couldn't wish Tony harm. While Edwin, his wife, Ana, and Tony's mom, Maria, were nowhere near to angels, with wings and all that, they were basically Tony's guardians, and the thought that ghosts could be those sent Klaus's mind reeling.

"When you have a late person who already accepted death but remained wanting to protect you, they became that kind, I think," Edwin had said, wistful. "Because that is what keeps the three of us here. We know that we can always move on, but we don't want to. Not yet, anyway."

Klaus had thought that it would explain Ben. Ben had been his guardian of sorts, but more of a companion since he never could chase away the other ghosts that used to badger Klaus. Did that mean that Ben had been unable to accept his death back then? It never came up before in their conversations, with Ben too busy to have Klaus see some sense during the short periods that he was half-sober before going back to taking substances again. And Klaus never asked. He never asked what Ben was feeling and thinking whenever he watched Klaus high as a kite.

"You'll find that it's not dissimilar with the living," Edwin told him. "There's always a room for communication if you're willing to listen, like what you're doing now."

When Klaus looked at the mirror that morning, absently listening to Edwin humming outside as he wait, he felt a profound sense of clarity when he recalled what Edwin said. It was the first time Klaus had this kind of understanding of a problem that had been a part of him for as long as he remembered.

"I forgot to tell you that there are two boxes waiting for you outside," Edwin said the moment Klaus exited the bathroom refreshed. "Master Tony left it out while you slept."

Klaus opened the largest one first that had an easel, paintbrushes, and acrylic and watercolor paints. It wasn't a particular interest at the moment, but painting could be therapeutic distraction. He could blend colors nicely, if he must say so himself.

The other nondescript box contained a swanky Ouija Board that was a hard-hitting reminiscent of Reginald's severity to him. And, really, that was all it took for Klaus to chortle, because never once did Reggie made him successfully use the fucking board.

"Hey, Ed, want to watch me play with this bad boy tonight?"

* * *

**Tony**

It did prove quite a challenge on what to find for them.

He got a Stradivarius for Vanya, check; an Ouija board for Klaus and a set of painting tools, done; and a set of twenty high carbon, low chromium stainless steel knives for Diego that Tony finished personally. As for Luther, Tony was given a suggestion by Pepper to get a record player. Old-fashioned for Tony's taste—for a couple of millennials, Luther and Five have the inclination for the archaic—therefore an Audio Technica AT-LP120 it is. But not without Tony's customization, of course. There was a prototype that he was working on with Bruce as a side project which could detect brain activity particularly on the part in-charged of emotions. It was basically a record player that could suggest specific titles to play depending on the mood of the user. Tony decided to incorporate it next time to a radio.

Allison strike Tony as somebody who would be interested with cameras, so he got one for her, top of the shelf kind of brand with a few tweaks made by him. It has a thermal function and capable of UV photography once he was done; now that was an idea for the next SI product.

Tony decided to get Ben an external hard drive that contained movies since he liked Shyamalan so much that it was worrying. Tony feared for Ben's acquired taste in the future, therefore introducing him to other films was the next logical step. An HDD was too simple to Tony's liking so he ended up giving Ben a laptop, only it was small that could fit in his pocket and use it anytime and anywhere he wanted. Another idea for SI, turned out.

Five was the trickiest to gauge as to what he would like. Tony could give him dozens of coffee maker—hell, maybe an espresso machine and other equipment that were enough for Five to start a coffee shop. How about a chessboard since it seemed that it would appeal to the old man in him? But no, not quite satisfactory to Tony. No, no, no. Five was a peculiar kid, hence he would be getting a peculiar thing from Tony.

The peculiar thing from Tony came in gray fur and yellow eyes.

"What's this?"

"You don't have a cat back there?"

"I know what a cat is. I'm asking why you're giving it to me."

"This is an American Shorthair," Tony informed him, depositing the cat on Five's lap. The cat curled itself immediately, much to Five's chagrin. "Internet says they're good companions to seniors. Look, she likes you already."

For all of Five's protest and lack of consensus with the animal, he didn't make a move to push the feline away. He was scowling at Tony, though, meaning it was ingenious. Tony counted it as a victory.

"If you need help with names, hit me up. Don't trust Jarvis to generate an interesting one. I'm fond of the name Tutti Frutti myself."

By afternoon, Tony was back to his workshop, seemingly satisfied and entertained with the earlier events (and Five's reaction). At the refuge of his workshop, it occurred to Tony that he was a week behind his scheduled timeline of his creation of the Iron Legion. He might need a better term later, but for now it would do. Iron Legion sounded straightforward for its purpose: the protection and guarding of civilians in populated areas during the Avengers' perilous battles. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been shortsighted with this issue, thus Tony would be remedying that with these remote-controlled Iron Man armors that served to function only as how Tony would program them.

Tony was well-aware that he has the perfect kind of response team in the making, but no way in hell he would put the kids in a precarious position. And he had been right when he told Five that child labor was a huge deal that also included superpowered minors. Not that Tony would knowingly place them at risk if that law didn't exist. Tony was a jerk, but certainly not that much of a prick.

"_Sir, if I may?" _

"What is it?" Tony said absently.

"_You might want to watch the surveillance video of May 14, from 11:00 PM to 2:30 AM."_

Last night? Tony set aside his soldering iron and flicked a screen. It appeared to be that unused floor with the broom closet. Seconds later, Klaus was shown on the video as if he rushed out of bed, carrying his blanket with him as a makeshift jacket.

Tony zoomed the recorded video and turned on the audio. Klaus was speaking to someone that wasn't there. If Tony wasn't told of Klaus's ability, he would have thought the boy nuts.

But a ghost at _his_ tower? Please.

"Any way we can confirm who or what he was talking to?" Tony asked, not at all bothered with the concept of ghost in general (to see is to believe, he would say), though the fact that there was one lurking at the tower was unacceptable. "Or better yet, remind me to make the tower ghost-proof, will you."

As to how that could happen, well, that was the challenge to Tony.

"_There's another thing that might get your attention, sir. Master Klaus occasionally mentioned a name, and I mistook him calling for me." _Jarvis paused._ "He was addressing someone else."_

"Someone else who's also called Jarvis, huh?"

"_Yes, sir. The name Edwin had been mentioned for a total of five times."_

"So I'm haunted by your namesake," Tony said. "Go figure."

There was no reason for Klaus to fake that bit, but Tony couldn't seem to properly wrap his mind around at the thought that Klaus was communicating with Jarvis, the late Edwin Jarvis. Tony wasn't sure what to make with the mixed bag of feelings that welled up in him.

He needed to talk to Klaus.

* * *

A little past dinner, there was a distant rumble of thunder from the clear evening skies. Some would say there was an oncoming storm, though to some who knew better it was the known signal of the arrival of Odin's firstborn, the Asgardian crown prince who has Earth under his protection, the alien who acquainted and allied with Earth's defenders, and was a core member of the Avengers.

Nobody could be blamed if they were fond of what followed the thunder.

* * *

**TBC**


	10. Thunderstruck

This is a part 1 of 2. Unbeta-ed.

Chapter title is from the same song title by AC/DC

* * *

**Thor**

When he landed at Stark's tower, the Man of Iron was already there without his armor, although with no small amount of confusion at his sudden arrival.

"Anthony," Thor said, nodding.

"Hey there, Point Break. Not that I mind you coming, but we can't reach you and thought you've gone dark—oof!"

"And you're still light as ever, Man of Iron!" Thor grasped his shoulder with a laugh. "Ah, my sincere apologies. Loki's impending trial and the weight of his crimes are taking a toll on the king and the queen, most especially. Asgard has been restless since I've brought with me my brother, thought dead, in chains and with an infinity stone." His tone went grim. Loki's imprisonment was just as heavy in Thor's mind, giving him a few sleepless nights as well.

Anthony led them inside, the gracious host that he was. Thor noticed that there were a few modifications made in the Man of Iron's place of operation. Still small in Thor's eyes, but he supposed this would amount to a palace here in Midgard.

"Want a tour?" Anthony offered, pouring Thor a glass of an amber liquid and handing it to him.

"It matters not, though you have my sincerest thanks. Perhaps next time." Thor downed the drink in one go, finding the taste odd, though not unpleasant. It was unique. "What is this drink?"

"Scotch. You're supposed to drink that in sips, by the way."

"I like it."

"Good. More?"

Anthony tipped the bottle on Thor's glass, giving him a generous amount.

"How is Midgard faring?"

"Don't know about the other places—world economy is experiencing recession right now, as far as I know—but Manhattan is peachy, all things considered. A lot of cleaning. Things like that."

Thor looked pensive, remembering the primary reason he came to Midgard. "Heimdall told me of a disquieting news of a small passage opening here in Midgard. Not as huge as what the army of Chitauri used, though a rip in space is not to be taken lightly for it serves as a beacon attracting mostly hostile entities. Midgard is recovering, and another assault will put a strain on your people."

Thor didn't miss the way Anthony took a huge gulp at the mention of a portal. Then he did know of this event. Heimdall told him that the passage brought seven people—

The space near Thor warped and a boy was instantly there. The moving metal contraption _dinged _and opened to four more boys, and two girls along with the Lady Pepper were coming from an adjacent hall.

"Thor?" the Lady Pepper said with a smile. "We didn't know you're coming."

Thor pressed a kiss on her hand, much to her utter amusement. "It is a sudden decision. I apologize for the disruption of your evening."

She waved a hand. "You're not disrupting anything aside from putting away the dishes."

"I see." Thor liked her. She was a pleasant woman and fitting for Anthony. His eyes landed on Lady Pepper's companions. "Hello, my ladies," he said, not forgetting his manners with the women, both young and old. He gave them each a kiss on their hands. The young lady with olive skin giggled at the gesture while the other fidgeted.

He turned to the five lads watching him with varying degree of perplex. Thor approached them, observing each. Each stood their ground and none of them flinched back at his presence as he crowded them. Thor nodded approvingly before addressing Anthony. "You and the Lady Pepper have been busy."

The Lady Pepper coughed behind her hand, and Anthony was his usual self with the quirk of eyebrows.

"Not that you're wrong, but kids don't grow that fast here, big guy."

The Lady Pepper coughed and hissed at Anthony, and one of the boys who caught the exchange grinned. He looked up expectantly at Thor, and Thor obliged, lifting the child who he got no complain from. Thor guessed that this was the one who closely inherited Anthony's easygoing personality. "But they are yours, surely they are as mighty as their father and as intelligent as their mother. Like him." Thor hummed thoughtfully at the boy he lifted and to the rest who looked ready to protest to have their brother put down. "He's thin but with more room to grow. What is your name, young man?"

"Klaus. Pleasure to meet you, Thor."

"It is an honor, son of Anthony!" Thor claimed jovially. Klaus grinned and seemingly edged closer to Thor and wrapped an arm around his neck. Thor let him. Midgardian children seemed to like him just as Asgardian children do.

"He's not a son of Anthony," protested the young blond man with a huff, his shoulders crossed. "We're not _sons _of Anthony."

"We're not Stark's children," said the man who arrived through the warped space.

"Afraid to say they're right," Anthony said with a shrug. "My guests for the time being, actually."

"I see," Thor said contemplatively, somewhat dismayed that it wasn't the case. If they were here, then they happened to be related to Anthony and the Lady Pepper in some way. Kin, perhaps. "But they have abilities, have they not? I didn't know it was possible for an ordinary Midgardian offspring to possess them." Thor frowned at the following silence that was seemingly waiting for a shoe to drop. A sudden persistent thought came to mind when his gaze met Anthony's and something clicked to place. "Unless…"

"I guess we need to talk, big guy."

* * *

Anthony ushered him to a balcony, closing the glass panes behind them. The others didn't seem put-off to be left, though they lingered curiously, observing them through the glass.

"About the small wormhole thing," Anthony began. "S.H.I.E.L.D. was on top of things, as usual. No need to worry." He awkwardly patted Thor's back like an empty reassurance.

"It is them. The seven individuals that emerged here in Midgard."

"Yep. Fury wanted them caged. I don't. So here we are."

"Heimdall didn't tell me they are children." Which was uncharacteristic of the watcher to withhold from him that specific information. "He said they were Midgardians, five men and two women. As to where they came from, he said it was beyond his sight. Heimdall suspects that it is because they originated in a world far from here. Another cosmos away."

"He's right." Anthony leaned on a railing. "One of the kids told us. Too convincing and elaborate to be a lie. Five brought his siblings here to escape from their world." At Thor's concerned frown, Anthony added, "They won't be followed here. If they are then the Avengers will be meeting them by the gates. We'll be prepared this time."

"Do you think it wise to keep them close to you?" Thor asked. "They are interesting children, but you don't know much about them."

"I could list you their names, and I've seen their powers—well, except Klaus's, but there's a performance issue there at the moment—to know who needs better control. We're working on it. They want the experience to train with the team, which sounds good to me. Nothing dangerous to put them out there, but enough for them to learn. Think of an outdoor camping, if you will. A jamboree."

Thor didn't know what 'jamboree' meant. It must be from Anthony's special language. "Train? It might not be a bad idea." Better to start them young, Thor thought approvingly. Besides, sparring would always be a good thing in his ears.

"It isn't. I'll call the others in tomorrow."

Thor grinned. That early? Why not.

* * *

**Diego**

There was something silky that brushed on his leg.

When Diego looked down, he found Five's cat looking up at him with a tilt of its head before jumping to his lap and making itself comfortable there. Diego wasn't one for pets, but the cat wasn't fuzzy and behaving like a quiet kid, for the lack of better analogy, that he allowed the cat there. Tentatively, Diego poked it on its head, making the cat look at the finger curiously before rubbing its cheek on it.

"She likes you," Allison said beside him, lifting her camera and taking a shot of Diego and the cat. She smiled at the photo, then up at him teasingly. "Candid."

They were going to have stolen pictures of them from now on, weren't they? Diego sighed. Better let Allison have her little hobby.

He was absently tickling the cat when Allison said, "We should give her a name." She turned to Five. "You already got one for her?"

"No. That can wait," Five said, warily eyeing the balcony where they could see Thor and Stark.

Pepper caught the look. "Is something the matter with Thor?"

A lot, Diego wanted to say. That huge hammer, for one, and the guy was like an overjoyed human Labrador who saw kids for the first time. "He thinks we're your kids," Diego muttered.

"He's not often here on Earth, and his stays are short. He's a nice alien Norse God," Pepper said. "A bit old-fashioned, but it's not often a prince kisses a girl's hand these days." She looked amused and wistful at the same time, winking at Vanya who only looked back at her with confusion.

"A god?" Luther asked. "The kind of god you pray to?"

"Norse God of Thunder," Pepper told him. "You don't have the Norse Pantheon from where you came from?"

Diego disliked the long, dragging lectures as a child, but he was pretty sure he would remember studying religions with gods like Thor.

"_If_ God looks like that, I won't mind kneeling for him every night," Klaus muttered, tad too loudly to be unheard by everyone.

Of course, an innuendo would be coming from Klaus. It wasn't only Diego who pulled a face at that, while Pepper's eyebrows almost rose back up her hairline.

"To pray. Duh," Klaus followed up with a wave of his hand. "Though, I wouldn't mind—"

"Okaaaay, while we're all here, let's think of a name for Five's cat," Ben interrupted. Bless him. "I think 'Mrs. Norris' sounds fitting."

"Who's Mrs. Norris?" Diego asked.

"It's from this book I'm reading. Mrs. Norris is the cat of the school's caretaker."

"Why, is there a Mr. Norris?" Vanya asked.

"Hmm, I don't think so. There's a theory online that she used to be a human, the caretaker's wife, but some wizard kids must have pulled a prank on her or something," Ben said.

"Is that _Harry Potter_?" Pepper said.

Diego didn't know who Harry Potter was, and he was lost once Pepper and Ben launched into a discussion. Five remained pensive, occasionally glancing at where Stark and Thor were. He appeared to be uneasy knowing what Thor actually was. They had an idea beforehand, but labeling him as a god seemed over the top. The God of Thunder, no less.

"You haven't named her, Five?"

"Does it matter?"

Diego snorted. "Of course it is."

"I'll think of something later."

"How about Grace? Or Patch?" Diego mumbled unconsciously. "Wait. No. Scratch those."

"Clarise?" Allison offered. That sounded close to 'Claire'. Probably a name she would have given if ever she had a second daughter.

"Regina?" Luther inputted because Allison gave one.

"We're naming her after Dad, seriously?" Klaus snorted derisively. "Fine. We name her Dave."

"The cat is female, Klaus."

"So? I don't hear anyone giving a decent female name." Klaus turned to Vanya. "How about you, sister dear? Any names for us?"

"Mr. Pennycrumb?" That must have been on top of Vanya's mind. Five looked like he was actually considering it.

Pepper blinked. "You mean she doesn't have a name yet? Tony said it's Tutti Frutti."

At their shared wince, there was a consensus that it was a very terrible name.

* * *

**Ben**

"They said you're the one who can call forth interdimensional beings," Thor said, and to Vanya, "And you're the young lady who can manipulate sounds." There was a gleam of excitement in his eyes that even Vanya caught. She and Ben shared a look.

Ben didn't completely know how being a god works in this universe, but he, like Vanya, would rather not harm Thor with the unpredictability of their abilities. He wondered how the others were faring after they've been divided and paired with different Avengers. Luther went with Captain America, Diego with Hawkeye, Allison and Five with Black Widow, and Ben and Vanya with Thor. Klaus was benched again per his request. Ben wasn't sure how Klaus would go on developing his abilities if he kept on putting himself at the backseat. Ben recalled a particular phase in their childhood where Klaus wished fervently to develop a different kind of power that Dad could focus on instead. Ben felt Klaus's desperation back then that even he dreamt that Klaus levitated in his sleep that one night he sneaked to Ben's room. It never happened again once Dad found out.

Thor's gaze softened, seemingly knowing what they were thinking. "Ben, your creatures are mighty and ferocious, no doubt. Vanya, they said you're yet to master control of your abilities. You two don't need to hold back. The Man of Iron did not partner you with me without a reason. Let's just say that he's confident that I can handle you both. At the same time, if you will."

So much for the cautiousness. Ben shrugged at Vanya, asking, "Ready, sis?" He held out a fist that she met with her own, uncertain. Ben sent her a half-grin in return.

Thor placed down his hammer that thudded heavily on the ground. When Ben made an opening gesture on his chest, Vanya was behind Thor, a good distance away where she couldn't be reached by the creatures, though Ben gathered that Thor wouldn't let it come to that.

The three tentacles shot out the instant Ben opened the portal, and Ben knew that the creatures were agitated, more so than usual. It would have been the most shocking if not for Thor grabbing three at once in a single hold. Four more slithered out of the portal, two sliding below to catch Thor's feet and two coming towards Thor's free arm. For a huge person, Thor was quick on his movements, grappling the other two with his other hand and curb stomping those approaching sneakily from below.

Thor pulled strongly on the tentacles, and with them was Ben lurching. Startled, Ben was close to tripping on his feet but recovered easily. Instinctively, he stepped back, pulling the tentacles taut like ropes on a tug of war. Ben had been on the same position with Luther once, when Reginald mistakenly thought Luther's super strength could handle the creatures. It landed Luther in the infirmary for a week when the creatures almost tore him apart.

There was a rumble from Ben's chest, and thinner appendages with spikes darted on every direction. They were new. Ben immediately looked past Thor and was thankful that Vanya was far from their range.

"You are not hurting whenever I pull, are you?" Thor asked.

"No. I don't feel them, actually," Ben replied on top of the shrieks the creatures were emitting. "But don't pull too much, sir. We don't want the whole of them to come out here."

They latched on Thor's torso wildly, a stray one smacking him on the face with a force that should be enough to decapitate anyone not-Thor. Ben watched in awe as Thor caught it with his teeth and bit hard. The creatures let out a piercing wail, for the first time experiencing pain from outside. Suffice to say, they didn't like it one bit, sending out more and more limbs to attack Thor. This was a first for Ben to release a number of them simultaneously, and any more of them would also put him and Vanya at high risk to be caught amidst their thrashing.

"Stay back, Vanya!" Thor called behind him as his pulling lessened. He wasn't lifted by the creatures yet, but they were trying, that much was obvious. "This might become… out of hand."

He made a grabbing motion with both his fists once or twice as if calling for something but shook his head, grinning wryly at Ben as he struggled against the creatures' hold. The hammer that he put down earlier vibrated on the stand but didn't move from its place.

It was then that it became apparent to Ben that Thor was holding back.

"Vanya, attack the creatures!" Ben shouted. "It'll be difficult to call them back at this rate!"

Vanya played a tune without further ado, starting with soft notes that progressively heightened in tempo. There was a furrow between her brows as she played with as much concentration while stepping away from the longer tentacles that wormed towards her. As the music quickened, Vanya's bow began to shimmer against the strings and gradually glowed at each stroke.

There was a white light when Vanya made a slash with her bow, not unlike what she displayed at the theater. It hit a number of the creatures' limbs, slicing them to pieces. The creatures' keening noise of pain and fury sent Ben's inside quaking, but he made sure to give Vanya a crooked grin and a thumbs-up. Ben has no love for the creatures that killed him once, and this should serve as a discipline to them.

Emboldened, Vanya cleared the path by cutting up a dozen more of the offending tentacles. A certain heavy blow completely dislodged the appendages holding on Thor. Thor didn't waste the time to seize the rest in one tight grasp under one arm.

"Close it at my cue!"

Ben was given no prompt when Thor gave a tug that lifted Ben off his feet as Thor threw him upwards, bringing Ben along at a great height. The finishing touch was a blast of sonic waves directly below from Vanya that had what remained of the creatures outside the portal recoiling, the attack sending back them to the unfathomable aperture in Ben's chest.

"Now, Ben!"

And then Ben was falling down too fast.

He curled his body into a ball, bracing for the impact that never came. He landed on Thor's arms that deftly caught him, and when Ben looked up, Thor was beaming at him infectiously that Ben couldn't help but do the same.

"Ben! Are you okay?" Vanya asked once Thor gently brought him down. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Ben shook his head enthusiastically. "What you did—that was cool! I think they're scared of you now." He tapped on his chest for emphasis.

"Um, oh, I don't know. I recalled doing it before, you know, at the theater. I wasn't—"

He shushed her, nudging her playfully. "You did a good job, Vanya. It was awesome."

"Thank you, Ben," Vanya said, unable to look straight at him, though there was a small smile on her face. "You too. Those were a lot of them than you've handled before."

"I know. I don't know what will happen if you and Mr. Thor are not here to fend them." Except, Ben did know. That wasn't his first rodeo, after all.

"I'd say that you two did well." Thor tousled their hair fondly.

Ben never did like using his ability, and so far there was only a single moment that it merited gratefulness from him: when Klaus conjured him for his powers. Still, it was a pleasant surprise to find the activity thrilling. There was a peculiar rush when he didn't hold back and without ending up hurting any within the vicinity. His attention went to the hammer that was now hanging on Thor's waist. The man—_Norse_ _God_, wasn't using his utmost power earlier, and it sparked a curiosity in Ben on how much strength a being like Thor possessed.

"The day is still young," Thor said. "How about another?"

Ben wondered too how much overenthusiasm was in there as well.

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

Part 2 will be up in a few days. :)


	11. Dangerous

Chapter title is from the same song title by Royal Deluxe

Sorry that this came a bit late. :( Enjoy the read!

* * *

**Steve**

Steve observed the boy who came to the gym earlier than him. He had seen the rest a while ago, and Steve would have thought Luther was the oldest of them seeing as he was the tallest, until he was reminded by Stark that they were of the same age, peculiarly sharing the same date of birth.

Then there was also the boy Five who Steve met first, who seemed older than his age let on.

There was a palpable line of frustration on Luther's young shoulders—the distinctive kind that Steve believed he had first felt a long time ago when he was around Luther's age, and the latest when he woke up from the ice and found that he had slept through seventy years.

The punching bag hissed on its hook, and after Luther landed a few more punches, there was a hole where his fist connected with the leather. It was only then that Steve made his presence known.

"Done warming up?" Steve asked, replacing the punching bag with another. Stark was being generous with the equipment here; most things, really, if not all.

"Yes, sir," Luther said, standing straighter at Steve's presence. He reminded Steve of a soldier, and he shouldn't be at his young age.

"It's Steve," Steve corrected. "There's no need for 'sir' if we're going to be training together."

Luther frowned at that, as if he wanted to disagree, though he nodded, saying, "Alright… Steve."

"That's better," Steve said with a smile. "Anything you want to tell me about your ability? Anything I should know first?"

Luther gave him a rundown of his strength limit, which was impressive for a boy of thirteen, although it had a part of Steve mulling over the kind of training Luther had been given to reach that milestone. Steve's strength never gave him physical strain due to the serum adjusting his body to handle it, not to mention he was already an adult when he had the serum. Luther was born with super strength, and at his present age he on par with Steve in terms of physical prowess. But how was it affecting Luther's teenage body?

"And how did your father train you to surpass your limitation?" Steve inquired after Luther also told him of his basic everyday workout which was closely to what Steve do himself.

"By pulling a different kind of vehicle per week," Luther answered. "I have to reach the distance he had set before I move on to another heavier vehicle. The increase of the weight I train on is directly proportional to the increase in distance that I have to cover with it, si—Steve."

Steve wondered why he didn't catch it the moment he saw Luther. The boy was not only acting like a soldier; he was brought up like one. Was this how their adoptive father raised them all? Five did mention that the thirty-six children like them were lucky not to be bought by Reginald. They were the only known superheroes in their world, and at such a young age they had to undergo a strict discipline befitting of their status.

"I'm afraid we can't do that yet," Steve said. "We can start with the simple kind. I watched your demonstration. You have a good control of your strength, so I assume you have no problem with holding delicate things without breaking them. We can start with what you did with the video, and I'll be on the other end this time. A catch and throw instead of a dodgeball."

A flash of irritation was briefly crossed Luther's face. "With all due respect, sir, you don't have to go easy on me."

"Please don't misunderstand, Luther. What I only have ahead of you is my years of experience. Someday, you'll be stronger than me, but you have to take into consideration first how your own body is holding up with the amount force you exude. You're young, and it can put a strain on your physical development if you're not careful."

"I'm no longer you—" Luther twitched, his fists clenching on his sides, evening his breath before nodding. "I apologize. Whatever you say, sir."

Well, Steve wasn't exactly expecting to correct that habit in one meeting. No matter—Steve decided while his attention found his vibranium shield sitting on a corner—he was nothing if not determined.

"What do you say to a little Frisbee, son?"

* * *

**Clint**

"Why the bow and arrow?" was the first thing that came out of Diego half an hour he was with Clint so far.

"Gives me a Robin Hood-ish look," Clint humored him. It wasn't a new question. Even Cooper tended to ask him why not knives, or darts, even. Hard to tell to a kid that darts wouldn't make a compelling weapon of choice.

"Who's Robin Hood?"

Never mind. Apparently, Diego's Earth didn't have Robin Hood. "Steals from the rich to give to the poor. Look him up. Not exactly the role model you need these days, but he has a certain inspiring appeal."

"Basically a vigilante," Diego said flatly.

"Why I said he's not exactly a role model," Clint said, lips pursing. "And you? I assume your trajectory manipulation is not limited with knives, but why stick to it?"

"It was what I was trained on," Diego said. "And I like knives. Guns are for… sissies."

Clint snorted. "Not wrong there, buddy, but they have their uses." He nocked an arrow, aiming at the thin pole atop an opposing empty rooftop. If he was right, Stark owned the building as well. "Though they don't have trick arrows and grappling hooks."

"Knives are handier. You can hide them on you, and they don't give your position away."

"Good point, kid. I'm not saying I don't use them." The wind changed, and Clint shifted his aim at an angle to the right before releasing. He didn't have to know he hit his mark precisely. "It's all a matter of finding what suits you, I guess, without looking like another generic soldier with sharpshooting skill. Especially when you're in a group of people where one throws a shield and the other a hammer."

"So you want to stand out?"

"Nah. Me and Black Widow are not made for that. We do better blending in on the back. And against the garish red metal suit and blue spandex with an American flag, there's no choice either." He and Nat were the 'normal' of the team. Stark too, but that man was never for ordinary. Must be an inherent trait. "How about you? Distinctive among the rest?"

Diego scoffed, and for a moment, Clint thought he would say something regarding that. He shook his head, unable to meet Clint's eyes.

He didn't push, settling down his bow. "Nothing wrong feeling that when you have someone who can shoot tentacles out of his chest and someone who can use music as an arsenal." Hey, even communicating with ghosts sounded more interesting. "But that's what the heavy-hitters are for: to be noticed first. Gives an advanced edge, and then they fail to notice the others with them who are just as capable. Keep in mind that being overlooked and underestimated always works for you."

Diego regarded the mechanical bow on Clint's hand. Clint got the impression that Diego was the kind of kid who appreciated certain feats brought by years of practice and honing skills. Diego seemed to be a boy with longer attention span than most kids his age, probably because of his upbringing. Patience for a slow-paced training was what Clint was banking on from Diego; there would be recklessness that was a part of childish traits, but nothing unsurprising. Clint could make him master the bow and arrow in time if Diego would be interested. If not, a practice on _any _available projectile at hand.

Clint reached for his hidden ballistic knife and handed it to the boy. The weight was ideal for Diego's smaller hand.

"Show me how far and how long on air you can control that."

He observed as Diego played with it like a boomerang and with no small amount of mastery. When it was back at Diego's palm, there was an expectant look directed at Clint that he might not have made consciously.

Clint allowed a small grin. "Good job, kid."

* * *

**Tony**

With the way Klaus was watching him warily, Tony knew the boy was waiting for that proverbial shoe to drop.

It wasn't that Tony was thinking on how to bring up the matter with equal amount of interest and skepticism—okay, so maybe he was, but it was a damn good game of Jenga that they were having and Tony has that competitive spirit going on at the present. Klaus has a keen eye on balance that he seemed to be nonchalantly pulling and stacking them up while observing Tony when he thought he wasn't looking.

Not fair, Tony internally groused.

There was a sigh from the boy when he finished his turn. It wasn't from relief that he didn't topple the tower of blocks over. "What is it?"

"What is what?" Tony muttered absently, feigning cluelessness.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "There's something you want to say, right?" His brows furrowed. "Is it the skirt? Though I gotta say ahead that I don't give a damn what you think about what I wear. Reggie was disgusted by it, so it's nothing new."

"Actually, I do have something to say to it, kid—that color is terrible. You should have known that maroon clashes badly against aquamarine." Tony pointed at his left eyelid. "Also, the wing on that is shorter than the other. Geez, did I forget to put a mirror in your room?"

Tony had the grace to ignore how taken aback Klaus was on the sudden criticism, constructive it might be. The boy shifted on his seat, almost indignant when he said, "Well, there's no vanity mirror so I have to struggle with the one at the bath. It's usually foggy."

"Vanity mirror? Fine. Done."

Klaus didn't answer, but he seemed to be occupied with something. He looked perplexed, not unlike when Tony's mind was running fast paced to come up with a solution on a difficult problem that he encountered; at least, according to Edwin he looked like that, seemingly not in the present while his hands were busy with another. Multitasking.

"I thought you'll be asking about something else," Klaus confessed.

"Like: what are you doing at night in that unused floor and talking to the air? That kind of thing?"

"Yeah. That kind of thing."

"I was alerted and showed a recorded video of you the day after."

"Creepy, huh?"

"I don't know, kid. I'm not the one who can see whatever it is that you see," Tony said, leaning back on his seat. It was Klaus's turn now, and he wasn't making any move to continue. "You were talking, and you mentioned Jarvis's name a lot. And it wasn't the AI you were referring to."

Klaus was contemplating, his eyes darting sharply and briefly past Tony. "I was talking to Edwin. He looks very… butlery. And English."

Tony snorted. "That's him, alright."

"He said that you tried cooking when you were my age and charred a hardboiled egg. Since then you never touched the stove to make food to fend for yourself."

A wry smile crept on Tony's face. Edwin didn't let that go easy, did he?

"When you were twelve, he had sewn a sword made of cloth and attached it to a bear. You kept it on your headboard to keep the monsters you thought lived underneath your bed," Klaus said. "Until your father caught you with it and told you that it was stupid. He rarely visited you, and it wasn't even to bid you good night."

What made its way up in Tony's throat was bitter and solid, lodging itself there and making Tony feel like that kid again. The boy that Howard didn't need, and the boy that wished he was born to Edwin instead.

"Do you believe me now?" Klaus asked, the question a perfect distraction from Tony's rather poignant rumination.

"I never said I don't believe you. You did say you can communicate with ghosts. I don't see the point of you lying about having powers," Tony replied reasonably, his voice surprisingly even.

"That's new," Klaus muttered, eyes glancing down as he fiddled with his fingers. "Shouldn't have said those then."

"I don't—" Tony fell back, closing his eyes. "Is he here?"

Klaus nodded mutely.

"Right." Tony wiped his face. "Right, of course."

Klaus chewed his bottom lip. "Am I grounded to my room?"

Tony wasn't fooled at the light tone. "Too harsh, don't you think. Unless you want to, that is."

"All good here. I'm yet to meet the others, but I'm sure they're just as nice as Edwin. Been meaning to acquaint myself with less hostile ghosts."

So there were more. Tony didn't know what to do with that information.

Belatedly, it occurred to him that two of those ghosts could be his parents. Was Howard critically judging him at this very moment? Now that was a thought.

"Never had good ghosts around?"

"Well, there was one or two. Most just scream to your ear and want to be helped. Ed is one of those rare ones who happens to be polite."

"Is that all? Your ability, I mean. Is it limited with communicating with them?"

Klaus's gaze narrowed. "Are you asking if I can make them corporeal?"

Oddly specific. "Sure."

"I've tried it once." Klaus drummed his fingers. "I haven't tried again." He caught Tony's stare. "If you're going to ask what I think you will, don't bother. I don't think it'll be good. For you... Sir."

"I'm not," Tony wanted to laugh. "Jesus, I'm not going to ask. I don't want that." God, he sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"People will give any for a chance to see again a dear person they lost." There was no humor behind Klaus's smile. He stood, excused himself and went for the door. "Later, maybe I can try it. I think Ed will like it if, you know, you can see him too, sir," the boy said past his shoulder before leaving.

It was 'sir' now, he supposed.

Sitting alone, Tony allowed his head to hang, the game of Jenga unfinished.

* * *

**Natasha**

"Any suggestions on the approach you'd like to have?" Natasha kept her tone forthcoming, her gesture welcoming and completely open. Children tended to be at ease around adults who were willing to listen to them with a smile.

Assuming, of course, that Allison and Five were the same as any other kids out there.

What Natasha got, however, was an unimpressed brow from Five and a veneer of complacency from Allison.

Five was every bit of a difficult child according to Natasha's first impression of him; and he didn't disappoint. Allison, on the other hand, strike Natasha as the generic well-behaved girl with a more or less penchant for haughtiness due to self-confidence on her overall looks and bearing. She seemed to honestly care for her siblings, Natasha would give her that.

Idly, Natasha wondered if she was being tad severe in gauging the girl. She would later write it off as her perturbation on Allison's capability that Natasha likened to hypnosis. True, Vanya and Ben's abilities, if to run unchecked, would be quite disastrous. And yet here was their sister who appeared to be the most put-together, next to Five, in terms of wielding their abilities. It wouldn't be farfetched to assume that Allison used hers in every chance she could as long as it suited her. Such power could be intoxicating to a little girl.

"Alright," Natasha said, plastering determination and eagerness. "I've seen what you two are capable of, but I have to ask." She addressed Allison. "Does yours work if there's anybody nearby?" Natasha mustered a notion of rambling coupled with vague hand gestures. "Like, you must have heard of this before—if a tree falls in an empty area, is there a sound created if there's nobody to hear it, or none at all?"

Allison looked minutely uncertain. "I've never thought of it that way, miss. I only know how to persuade, not alter reality."

Interesting choice of words. Natasha waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing. Just a silly thought of mine." It could be that Allison's ability was a mere persuasion or powerful enough to bend reality with words alone, which was an alarming—

Natasha narrowly dodged a chop aimed at her nape.

She composed herself and faced Five with a bland smile and chiding, "Now that was rude, mister."

"Not so much as you trying to figure out the limitation of Allison's ability," Five said bluntly. "Is that what your director assigned you to do? I'm offended that you haven't gone for me first."

"Your limit is ten consecutive jumps at most, but that is still tentative and has to take into account your present state. Endurance is possibly linked with how many spatial jumps you can make within an hour," Natasha told him with the detachment of someone reading somebody's report. "You've displayed your expertise upon landing that we've gathered enough information regarding you." Her smile this time was cutting, completely dropping any kind of pretense.

Five's own lips slanted into a smirk. "I see. That's a shame. I expected more, but if you can gather that much then S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't so bad." He stood straighter. "Shall we resume with the more practical approach? I'd like to see what a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is made of." He shared a nod with his sister who wordlessly acquiesce with a rather amused face. "First one face down?"

"First one face down," Natasha agreed. "Applies to any of you."

"From any of us."

Allison wasn't amateurish with close range combat, but Natasha could detect the disuse of skill, which was questionable with how Five portrayed them as children on the run before coming here in this Earth. At the same time, Natasha could chalk it up as Allison not being one of the main combatants among her siblings. She wasn't entirely unuseful, powers aside. Natasha figured Allison could defend herself alone against two to three mediocre fighters at best.

Five wasn't holding back on his competence by displaying knowledge in mixed martial arts. His disciple was unorthodox and relied mostly on improvisation and his powers. Natasha counted the times he used his spatial jump: three times, and only to dodge blows from her. On his fourth use, Natasha managed to trick him into using his jump, and when he appeared on the spot Natasha expected him to show up—a blind spot on her flank—Allison was there to collide against him.

Highly competent but wasn't used to working fluidly with another. A lone wolf? Surprising that their adoptive father who trained them to his utmost allowed that behavior.

No weapons were drawn, though Five often moved with the intent to kill that Natasha's instincts would kick in to reach for a knife in the boot or that nylon garrote secured along her belt. Natasha was morbidly fascinated that a boy of thirteen could make her do so.

At the knowing smirk that she would occasionally catch on Five, Natasha recognized that they were completely intentional.

Reckless little kids.

Natasha hooked her foot and gave none too gentle kick on Five's calf. She used her height to her gain, wrapping her arms around the boy in a nonlethal choke hold and wrestled Five's smaller frame to the floor. The boy struggled against her tight hold until a warped space appeared in front of them.

She hadn't seen it this close before, and she was reminded of the wormhole in New York that she helped closing, only this one was miniature and much closer. The millisecond of hesitation was enough for Allison to catch Natasha's legs and tackle her to the ground where she brought Five with her.

Natasha landed on her side, and from another view they must have made an ungraceful tangle of legs that could make one think they were fooling around. She huffed out a breath and kept her breathing even.

Five and Allison didn't bother hiding their panting as they both sat up, not in a hurry to stand after Natasha. She regarded them with hands on her hips, recovering first and brushing a lock of hair back.

"Who went down first?"

"We all did at once," Allison said, composing herself and wiping her forehead. "Didn't know we'll be wrestling each other."

"I thought that was a given," Five deadpanned. "Straight for the legs. Good thinking," he commended.

"I thought that was a given," Allison said flatly in return before her mouth curled into a grin. "I think we need to work on our silent communication."

Judging from the relaxed expression from Five, Natasha could say that they have a firm mastery of silent communication.

"Another round?" Natasha suggested, making her unabated challenge known through a quirk of lips.

* * *

**TBC**


	12. Never Let Her Slip Away

Chapter title is from the same song title by The Bloomfields

Enjoy!

* * *

**Klaus**

After dinner, Klaus went straight to the unused floor, brought the board down on the empty hallway, and waited for the evening to deepen.

"So, how are we going to do this? Do you want me to call Tony first down here or you wanna give him the surprise of his lifetime?"

Jarvis sighed when he materialized next to Klaus. Klaus pretty much avoided him the rest of the day, and Edwin was too nice to not give him his space. "Klaus," Jarvis began.

"Look, as I said to him, I don't mind." Klaus wasn't sure who he was trying to convince here. But, hey, he got these medium abilities and someone wanted him to use it without asking rudely (i.e., beating the shit out of him to communicate with a late rich grandma to ask where her she hid her jewels, or asking a dead partner in crime where the stolen money was), so why not?

"And it wasn't what he said either," Jarvis pointed out. He sat down, Indian-sitting beside Klaus, and it should have been irritating that he was treating Klaus as a child when he was past that age, but Jarvis's voice was firm and gentle like he has an infinite amount of patience. He must have. "You misunderstood him."

"If I did, it doesn't mean that you don't want it," Klaus retorted.

Jarvis's expression turned wistful and distant as if remembering a memory. "I won't lie. I do. To be honest, I do want him to know what I think. I'd like to say that his workshop has been a mess despite the lack of papers, and he hasn't been cleaning for a while that one day he'll slip on a screwdriver. I want to say that he has been brave and did a fine job at the Battle of New York, though offering Loki a drink might be pushing it." Jarvis continued like there was a list he prepared for this. "I personally want to limit his caffeine intake and diet. Master Tony isn't getting younger so he might as well start with healthy living now." Klaus thought that 'healthy living' sounded ludicrous to say to someone in the superhero business. "Lastly, I'd like to express my disapproval of his lack of attempt with proper communication with Miss Potts. He has been struggling, and he didn't know that telling her what is bothering him will help lessen the burden."

Klaus tilted his head. "What is bothering him?"

"It is not my place to say, but you have to know that it is causing him a lack of sleep these past nights."

"And it's not the amount of coffee he chugs the everyday?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Jarvis glanced at the security camera positioned to get their position on screen. "It won't be farfetched to assume that he's watching us now, or at least running this recording on the background while he works."

"No sleep, huh? Yeah that sucks serious ba—" At Jarvis's frown, Klaus hastily corrected, "—sucks. That sucks." Jarvis didn't call him out on it. "So why don't you want to say that yourself? If you two were close, then hearing it from you will give him a wake-up call or something."

"It doesn't have to be me. I'm no longer a part of his day-to-day life," Jarvis said with a smile. "He has many layers but underneath is someone who looks after people as much as he can and rarely wants the same in return. He's confident with what he's capable of, his mind and technology, and he wears them as his armor quite literally and figuratively. But at the end of the day, he's just a single man who multitasks. He needs to be looked after, too, especially by those he has at the present. The _living _ones."

"Pepper," Klaus said.

"And you and your siblings," Jarvis added, his smile wider.

Klaus blinked and snorted. "Gee, makes us feel special than we already are, if being technically aliens with superpowers aren't already."

Jarvis wasn't offended and was more or less cognizant of Klaus's reaction. "Sir might have known you for only a week, but trust me when I say he wants to do it right with all of you."

"He already is," Klaus admitted, shrugging in an attempt to appear casual. Tony has been a good host and so far Klaus has no complains. "It's kinda like having a rich relative whose choices are to either spend their money collecting cats until they die of old age, or spend it on spoiling nephews or nieces they never met before." Huh. In some ways, the cats could be swapped for the doohickeys Tony would whip up and, wow, it somehow made sense on Klaus's mind. At Jarvis's confused frown, Klaus added, "We should have been used to this, this pampered lifestyle. Our Dad was a billionaire too, you know. Just made his riches from a different field."

It looked like Jarvis knew that after hearing meager bits of their modified background that was enough to sound realistic. "What is he like, your father?"

"Brilliant. Distant." And cold that would put to shame whatever corpse on a slab he would perform an autopsy on, Klaus wanted to say, because Reginald studied the human anatomy from an actual dead like it was a pastime of his. "He was no doubt a great mind in the scientific world, but he was a shit father."

Klaus wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity that he said more praises than insults. Oh, the irony.

He knew he liked Jarvis even more when he didn't pity him. Jarvis understood as if he wasn't unfamiliar with the story. "I'm sorry. I am not new to a tough and single-minded father myself."

Tough and single-minded; those were the kindest words Klaus could ever hear referring to Reggie. Idly, he wspokeondered if Jarvis has the same experience with his father. He didn't ask—wasn't able to when Jarvis spoke again.

"Master Tony knows that," Jarvis told him. "You might not have mentioned exactly the kind of man Mr. Hargreeves was, but Tony is far from ignorant. From the way you and your siblings mentioned your father with hardly any affection, Tony knew you grew up not given that very thing by your father. He knows as well that it isn't the world you came from that is cruel, it is the manner you were raised to strive for utter discipline and perfection of your skills. He doesn't find perfection wrong, mind you, though he doesn't approve living for it alone. If you'll notice, Sir is all about having fun, and children, most especially, are entitled to it."

Jarvis described Tony akin to an author writing about a character, and it did show he knew Tony so well to see all these past that façade of massive ego and indifference.

Klaus couldn't find it in himself to refuse when Jarvis suggested he go and see if Tony was awake and talk to him.

* * *

**Tony**

He closed his eyes briefly, and next thing he knew he somewhat fell asleep on the couch for like—oh, seven minutes.

Tony intended to get a frozen bagel from the kitchen and crack a cold one while he was at it when he crashed himself on the couch out of impulse and stayed there and stared at the ceiling. He was seeing past the dimness he found up there, lines of codes running across his eyes. Tony thought of several switch cases he should add to the program if he wanted the Iron Legion to work similarly to a response team, accounting for every possible situation that could happen during an evac or assistance in a fight. The second one was easy: let them punch those Tony would deem the bad guys, while the former proved to be tricky in terms of delicate handling of victims and such.

He managed to dream he was falling, and that was pretty much it for the uncalled for nap. Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was getting bad. Worse.

There were sounds of footsteps coming from the direction of the kitchen, and Tony waited for who would emerge from the unlit hallway. It was Klaus in pajamas and carrying a tumbler, looking sheepish.

"Did I wake you?" Klaus asked tentatively when Tony waved next to him.

"Wasn't sleeping, kid," Tony lied.

"Figures," Klaus murmured.

Tony raised an eyebrow at the tumbler. "Rough night?"

"I wish. That's a good reason to finally swipe a bottle from your cabinet," Klaus remarked dryly. Tony's mouth twitched.

"Got an alcoholism that I should know?"

"God, yes. There's also my past substance abuse. I haven't been sober this long, and it's making me itch."

When Klaus didn't laugh, Tony had to pause and consider. "You're kidding, right?"

Klaus could only sigh. "Yeah, I'm just pulling your leg," he deadpanned, and Tony wasn't sure whether to pursue this line of conversation seriously.

"Right. I might take you up on the drinking, though. In another five years maybe."

"You think we'll be here that long?"

"Don't know. What did your, ah, driver say? Not that I mind guests for five years."

"'Freeloaders' is more fitting once we overstayed our welcome."

Tony inclined his head, humming noncommittally. Of course they didn't know that Tony Stark's doors were always open for the more agreeable folks.

"Yeah, I know, Christ," Klaus said, not to Tony but rather on something behind his shoulder. The boy's mild annoyance morphed into something guilty when he caught Tony watching him. "Sorry about that."

The lack of 'sir' was a major improvement. "Who's that?" he asked, knowing full well who it was. It was a little easier to accept the idea that Klaus could talk to Jarvis, probably due to the grogginess that was partly clouding Tony's brain.

Klaus hesitated. "It's Jarvis. He said I shouldn't keep you awake, and I should go to sleep now if you don't want to talk."

"Nagging, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Not something I could appreciate in a bad day."

Tony allowed a smirk. "You'll get used to it." He found it funny that he was indirectly teasing his late butler. Talk about a weird night. "Wait. He can hear me. Did he pout?"

Klaus glanced behind him. "He totally is pouting."

"With crossed arms in front of his chest?"

"Yep."

Tony could imagine it. Jarvis had pulled the same gesture a couple of times on him. The one Tony couldn't forget was when he didn't separate the colored shirts from the white.

"He said you should sleep," Klaus spoke softly when a bout of comfortable silence settled between them.

"Not yet. Working on something. Taking a break for the meantime."

"Well, he said that you must be ahead of your schedule by now since your worked on it almost every evening. Sure you turn to bed early, only to wake up in the middle of the night to go to your workshop until afternoon."

"I'm going to pretend it's not creepy that he's watching me sleep," Tony said in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Tell him he doesn't need to worry. In a few days I'll be having my hibernation." He made a show of stretching his arms and yawning wide. The yawn wasn't made up, however, and there were aches he could feel on some parts of his body out of exhaustion.

"He, uh," Klaus hesitated again, "He said that whatever you're dealing with, Pepper deserves to know. It's only fair for her."

Tony turned his face away in time to hide his flinch. Tony could point out that Jarvis made it sound so easy, as if it was natural for Tony to open this up to someone. But then again Pepper wasn't just someone, and the same goes for Rhodey too. There were a handful of people that Tony could trust with his life, but there were only two he could trust to tell what he was going on with him, to admit that he wasn't alright.

The kid peered at him. "Hey, I don't really know what's going on with you, and Jarvis said it isn't his place to tell me, but I'm not going to pry no matter how curious I am." Klaus shifted on his seat. "But if it's really serious, I think you should take Jarvis's advice. It doesn't hurt to tell the people you love."

Tony regarded Klaus, and for a minute he wondered if he should ask if it came from experience. Tony decided not to after seeing Klaus fiddled with his fingers, the topic equally bothering him.

"Is that coffee?" Tony asked distractedly.

"Oh, nah." Klaus pushed the tumbler towards Tony. "It's for you actually. Jarvis said it should help with the insomnia."

"Milk?" Tony peeked suspiciously at the content.

"With honey and cinnamon. It might not be the same, but I followed his instruction so it shouldn't be bad. It's alright when I tasted it."

The smell of cinnamon wafted out when Tony lifted the lid. How long had he drank one? Once, he was willing to substitute it for black coffee as long as it was made by Jarvis.

Nagging, right. Thoughtful. Jarvis still couldn't help but look after him from the other side. He wanted to support Tony in littlest way he could, and now that Klaus came there was suddenly a way for him.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you, kid."

Tony made up his mind.

He didn't return to his workshop and made a beeline for the bedroom.

To his surprise, Pepper was sitting with an open book of _Harry Potter_. Tony knew how easily she could get invested on a book, though she quickly put it down when he came in.

"Hi, Pep."

"Hello." Pepper sat up properly. "Took you long to come back."

"I know. I feel stupid."

"That's a first," Pepper replied lightly. She patted the space next to her. "Come here and tell me."

And Tony told her of his fears, of his bad dreams, of what he saw beyond the wormhole, of what he was working on. He told her that the only break he got this past week was the arrival of the seven children that started living with them.

Pepper was quiet at the whole duration, carding his hair and rubbing his arm soothingly. Tony has been taking for granted this amazing woman who only wanted to understand and share his burdens. He _was _an idiot.

It was four in the morning when Tony found himself falling in a dreamless slumber without care in the world other than resting.

* * *

**Pepper**

Out of the seven, there were only three who arrived at breakfast.

Pepper made sure to prepare for a big meal with Thor around. Bruce quietly nursed his tea as Thor shoveled three omelets. Beside him was Steve who politely accepted the invitation. Pepper watch the table amusedly as Thor attempted to prepare a toast with butter spread to help serve to the boys. Luther was the first who came in after a jogging with Steve, and Pepper could tell that an hour outside did wonders for his mood. She often saw Luther with a perpetual frown, not quite settled yet compared to the rest of his siblings. Diego followed closely and with him was Klaus, early for the first time.

"Where are the others?" Pepper asked, joining them. "I usually see Vanya and Ben around this time."

"Allison said she can hardly get up," Luther answered. "Because of yesterday. It… has been awhile."

"That is the Lady Natasha for you," Thor exclaimed with a big grin. "Ah, 'tis a shame not to watch her with Five and the young lady."

"You should have seen the Frisbee game I had with Luther," Steve said. "And Clint told me that Diego here has an impressive shot as his."

Pepper noticed Diego's ears turning pink. Klaus hid a grin behind his cup.

Klaus—

Pepper recalled the late night talk with Tony. He mentioned that Jarvis, through Klaus, had made a few key things clearer for him. He made a joke of comparing Klaus to a telephone, but Pepper knew that he recognized how important a link the boy was.

In the middle of Thor's boisterous retelling of his spar with Vanya and Ben, Pepper gave Klaus's hand a squeeze that startled him.

"Thank you," she whispered. Klaus already knew what she was pertaining to.

"It's nothing, really," Klaus replied quietly.

"It means a lot to me and Tony," Pepper said, keeping her voice down.

She didn't let go until Klaus nodded unsurely, a little shy. It gave her the impression that Klaus wasn't always a recipient of gratitude.

"You want another toast?"

* * *

**Five**

The equations were wrong again.

He studied the three recent results he got and compared them to the latest one. They were all varying; there was a number off or one lesser by two or three digits than the one before. It was becoming repetitive, and the lack of substantial result made Five's head hurt.

The writings on every paper and space on the whiteboard were enough to fill a thesis volume on the subject of Multiverse. Five made a mental note to burn them—even the most inconclusive—once he was done with these lest they fall on the wrong hands.

The cat was curled into a ball on the bed most of the day, purring at Five on occasion as if checking up on him (which was a ridiculous notion given the feline nature). He would only leave the room during meals, check on his siblings, and then return once more to go over his progress so far. If it could be called progress, that was.

Another day he was struck with inspiration and it went down the drain immediately.

Five crumpled the paper and shot it to the bin. It was becoming glaringly obvious what he should do next: ask for help from Stark and Banner.

Asking for their aid entailed telling the whole truth and the need to return to their Earth. It shouldn't be much of an issue to reveal them as actual adults on top of coming from another dimension if not for the recent events that happened here. The reason the Avengers has been generally lax around them was their current state as children that enforced their sob story. What would happen when they found out these seven seemingly innocent kids were lying all along?

Which left Five with the option to tell his brothers and sisters to not expect a trip back soon and open to them the possibility of not returning home.

Five was far from giving up, but he might as well face the worst case scenario. He wasn't the sole person trapped here after all.

It was no brainer what was the easiest choice, until Five went out to gather each of them for an impromptu meeting in his room and came across Allison first.

Their Earth didn't hold years of pleasant memories that Five would rather not return to, but there was happiness there for some of his siblings, Allison most of all. How was Five going to tell her that Claire's conception was down to zero probability if they remained here? Allison had and would have had that girl that was her whole world.

Five found that he wasn't yet ready to shove at her sister's face that possible scenario.

Before Allison could turn to his direction, Five jumped ahead without any destination in mind.

The escape of a coward, he thought distastefully. Five ended up on top of a random building where he could see the Avengers Tower not far, all gleaming windows at the orange hue of dusk.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Five didn't sense the monkish woman that appeared behind him, and that alone rang his warning bells. The woman noticed Five's guard rising, though she remained unperturbed.

"For a city dubbed as a concrete jungle, it gives an impressive view of the sunset," she continued, admiring the sight of the visible horizon.

"Who are you?" Five asked cautiously.

"I believe that is one of the many things we will be talking about," she said benignly, offering a smile. "Tea?"

* * *

**TBC**


	13. I Won't Let You Down

Chapter title is from the same song title by Ok Go

Enjoy!

* * *

**Ancient One**

He was a curious man.

She invited Five inside the Sanctum, and she could strongly feel the high guard he was putting up as he followed her. Still, he was unable to hide his wonder as they passed a hallway of artifacts on their way to the receiving room.

She helpfully gave snippets of histories on them. Five didn't speak in the whole duration of it, but it was easy to tell that he was listening attentively, the names lost to him might be.

If only her successor would be this receptive. She has no doubt that Stephen Strange would be the best of them, but it would save her the trouble of opening the mind of a rather obstinate man.

"There's a bit of honey in it," she said gently when Five didn't touch the cup of tea she served. He considered it warily. "Is coffee more to your liking?"

"This is alright." To make a point and avoid causing an offense, he drank in a huge sip and barely hid a wince. Tea wasn't for every tongue, and she commended his manners.

"How do you know about us?" Five asked, straight to the point.

"It is our duty to protect the Earth against mystical threats, and an unknown entry in this world is considered as such. Though in my years and those before me who held the title of the Ancient One, this is a first that a human easily slipped to this world with six companions. Visions didn't foretell me of seven presences, therefore I didn't account you and the changes you might bring." The Ancient One smiled. "You of all people know how fickle the time is, that meddling is a child's play that can easily result to a disturbing future."

A conflicted frown crossed his young face. "Then you know what we are."

"Yes. Time-travelers are more fitting to describe your brothers and sisters. You, however, are a league of your own, jumping back through the stream of time and space more than once. I can only see a portion of the future of this world, but you've lived through half a century of yours. I cannot deem to know how it feels, but I understand what you carry on your own."

The fingers clutching the ceramic cup trembled, downing the content in one go. Five released a shaky breath, his youthful, collected façade giving way to years of weariness that was proficiently kept together under the thin surface. He closed his eyes briefly, composing himself once more.

"Is this you politely asking us to leave?" Five asked evenly.

"No. The difference I have with my predecessors is that I believe this world could also be home to those who seek refuge," she said.

"You said it yourself: we are unaccountable variables that suddenly appeared. We can drastically change the future you've seen for the worse."

"I apologize for causing a misunderstanding. Let me revise—it is now _a _future, the one of many, and the one where the seven of you belong is uncertain, therefore I won't conclude easily that you will only bring a terrible change upon us. Perhaps there are greater things at work that directed your path here. Fate, for one, must have decided to lead you here to aid us for what is to come."

"What do you think will come?"

The Ancient One has rough ideas of what, assuming those remained unchanged, but they were just that, ideas.

"At this point, Mr. Five, I don't know what will."

* * *

**Five**

The connection between the three Sanctums was the earliest form of immediate travel between long distances this Earth has, if Five was understanding the Ancient One correctly.

The New York Sanctum was one of the three bases of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the three boasting a longstanding operation over the course of this world's history. Their teachings were impressive on their own right, though Five couldn't help but wonder about those who gained heaps of knowledge and turned rogue, those who deemed the dark arts the more preferable practice.

The Ancient One had graciously offered a tour of the place, and Five wasn't told that it included crossing over from New York to Nepal by foot as well. Five got the chance to witness the students learning how to wield the sling ring, and his interest was piqued as they gradually learned how to form orange circles—

Dimensional gateways that allowed jumps from one location to another, the Ancient One explained.

Five wasn't aware that teleportation was considered sorcery.

"I assume it isn't much different from what you use," the Ancient One said beside him, overlooking the courtyard of pupils. "Although we confess to be limited only with the given space. We are yet to push our boundaries with time in order to access it with a simple spell and a ring." Judging from her expression, she preferred to keep it that way.

"My ability," Five began. "It is considered magic here, yes?"

"In a way, but not quite. Someone can say that magic here on Earth is just science that isn't understood yet. They're not wrong, but by extension the bigger aspects of sorcery is just as indescribable and in general is one of the mysteries of this universe."

They shared a relative silence, passively watching the training of abecedarians. There was one in particular that the Ancient One was observing, a young man with dark skin who was gave up on producing a decent portal, seething to himself for his own ineptitude. He scoffed, heatedly claiming it was useless and walked away from the class.

Five followed the Ancient One closely as she intercepted the man and addressed him as Mordo.

Five maintained his distance as they exchanged words, mostly from Mordo as the Ancient One listened as if waiting for him to run out of rants on how the training wasn't doing any good for him and his revenge. The Ancient One spoke softly once Mordo's temper cooled down.

When Mordo's eyes went past the Ancient One and found his, Five met his gaze steadily.

"Ah, this is Five. I'm giving him a tour of the place," the Ancient One introduced in a lighter tone.

"Your new student?" Mordo inquired, his voice more sedate as he looked at Five curiously. "Isn't he too young to train?"

"He is," she allowed. "Perhaps when he is older, but for now he is a guest of mine."

Mordo snorted. "Didn't know you allow sightseeing here. The view must be popular with the old geezers." With that, he sauntered off towards the direction of the exit without so much of a goodbye.

Five raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to laugh at Mordo's gall. The Ancient One caught the twitch of his lips. "Charming student."

"Mordo's more of a dilettante than a student," she said. "But, true, that was charming of him."

Five left it at that, mind caught up with a vital piece of information. "The dimensional gateway they're studying—does it allow dimensional leap?"

The Ancient One hardly blinked at the question. Five supposed she was expecting it come up sooner. "The advanced one can. Even the Masters take years to learn to create a stable one."

"But they don't have my ability which is linked to it. It'll be easier for me."

"No doubt," she acquiesced. "I do not begrudge you how, but you are rushing the process of getting back."

"And I shouldn't?" Five shot back irately. "We're not meant to be here. We're supposed to be in 2002, reliving our childhood to help my sister handle her powers that wiped the humans from the face of Earth seven years from now. This is all an accident!"

Five vaguely registered that he raised his voice. His lips clamped shut when he was done, for some reason feeling ashamed to yell at somebody who was obviously years older than him. He might as well be a real thirteen-year-old to her.

"You've been here for a week. Have you seen the sun rose?" she asked incongruously.

Five didn't know where she was going with this. He shook his head.

"Have you seen a storm brew or the rain graying the pavement?"

"I don't exactly have the time to go out," Five said. "You know that it's only been a week."

"Exactly. It's too short a time to experience the city and the people in it. Your life has always been about moving around even during the years you spent alone, and when you successfully returned it had only been all about saving the world."

Five wanted to say that he was never alone during the Apocalypse—Dolores was there with him—but he bit his tongue. It was the company of a human she was pertaining to.

"There is nothing wrong to stop and simply admire rather than running past. Sometimes, the important things can be found during the pause," she said. "I understand the dire need to fix the timeline you came from, but that is which you're trying to prevent has already come to pass. So I ask again, why the hurry when you can do better this time around and invest on small, careful steps that can help you get closer to the future you're aiming for?"

When Five didn't answer, she added, "I'd like to believe that you and your siblings came here for a reason that doesn't only concern us but also yourselves. Perhaps this world would like as well for you to experience some finer aspects of life that you missed out on."

"And when all is said and done, what then?"

"Then you come back here. It may take years, but the Sanctum will always be here. You find me, or if I'm no longer around by then, seek my successor who will help you to his utmost capability. The doors to the Mystic Arts will always be open to an ally, Mr. Five."

* * *

**Allison**

"The Prodigal Son returns," Stark remarked when Five quietly sat at the table, several minutes late for the meal—or not; Stark wasn't the kind to set a certain schedule for mealtimes.

It sparked Allison's curiosity when Five ignored Stark and seemed deep in thought.

Where had he been anyway? Jarvis told them when Five left. Stark wasn't particularly concerned at his sudden absence from the tower—_hey, imagine having the ability to teleport; I'd be in Tahiti in one second then at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s outdated tech lab next—_though he made sure to check from time to time if Five was spotted somewhere by the city's surveillance.

"Finally gave in to cabin fever, huh?" Stark tried again.

"In a way," Five humored him. His shoulders relaxed minutely. "Been to Nepal. How far is it from here?"

Stark whistled, and even Pepper blinked, startled. "Just a couple of continents away. Sightseeing at Mount Everest, I see. You should have told me beforehand. We could have erected an Avenger Flag or something—wait, that's a good spot for headquarters. Can't beat an outer space base, but we'll get there."

Thor laughed. "Do tell me next time, Anthony. I'll enlist Heimdall's aid in finding the perfect location within the Yggdrasil. A branch or two can accommodate a stronghold of your making."

"I'm actually talking about a tower, not a treehouse."

Thor grinned. "You can build a dozen of this place and still there will be a room for a dozen more."

"Fine. Noted," Stark groused.

Allison observed his brother play with his food until they all dispersed to separate directions. She cornered him before he could leave, though Allison suspected that Five meant for her to catch up to him. Five was adept and capable of completely avoiding any of them if he wanted to.

"You've been gone a while," she started. "Where have you really been?"

"I told you already."

"To another country. Right."

"The sorcerers of this Earth are quite proficient with their art," he told her.

Allison was speechless for a moment. "You're not kidding."

"It's a long story," Five said with a slight shrug. "Apparently magic exists in this world, and there are some who practice it."

It shouldn't be surprising to find out. They felt small here, in a way, dwarfed by all these huge existences of what should amount as fictional in their already abnormal lifestyle of possessing superpowers and being heroes at a young age.

"I need to tell you something, Allison," Five suddenly said. "We need somewhere private."

Allison didn't question him; his urgency was somewhat concerning. She led him to the balcony she first went (sulked to) on their first day here.

"Okay, what is it?"

She didn't press when Five took a while, though it was pretty weird to see him gathering his nerves. Funny enough, he somewhat resembled Luther when he did so—actually, scratch that, they practically projected the same body language.

"I'm not giving up on finding a way to return, but I want you to know first that it's highly probable that it'll take a long while… or not at all."

Allison couldn't pretend not to be dismayed. It wouldn't be so bad to stay here for a while, but she also couldn't help but think of Claire more and more each day the longer they were here, especially when Pepper was mothering her and any of her siblings how a mother should have. Allison oftentimes yearned to do the same to her daughter and hopefully when they already fixed their timeline where Clair wouldn't know of the end of the world. It pained Allison to realize that she hadn't been there with Claire and held her as everything around them died in fire. Some mother she was.

"I'm sorry," Five said, reaching for her hand and maintaining eye contact despite the guilty expression he wore. "I promise I'll find a way. The sorcerers I told you about may have one, but I won't know unless I try it myself."

Amidst her tears, Allison squeezed his hand back. "I don't doubt that. Thank you for telling me."

"You're not mad?" he asked unsurely.

Allison shook her head. "You said it yourself that you're far from giving up. That's an assurance for me in of itself. Did you already tell the others?"

"I don't get the chance yet. Later, maybe."

She sniffed and somehow managed a teasing grin. "That's a way to make me feel special," she muttered, elbowing him playfully.

Five snorted, obviously relieved—if was he afraid that she would criticize him for his inability then he truly didn't know her fully and his siblings—and let her wrap herself around his arm. On a normal day, he probably wouldn't allow an affectionate contact from any of them.

Good thing it wasn't a normal day, Allison thought, laying her head on his shoulder.

* * *

**Thor**

"My father passed this hammer to me without the enchantment at first, until I proved myself unworthy and was casted down here without this and my godhood," Thor shared solemnly to the rapt attention of the children. Ben had been particularly inquisitive regarding his weapon, and Thor was easily bent by a child's wish. "He banished me and sent the hammer down after with the condition that its ability can only be wielded by someone worthy."

"In a span of few days nobody worthy found the hammer?" Klaus wondered aloud, munching on a bowl of peanuts that he passed to Diego. "Yeah, that's some luck."

"It is," Thor agreed. "I do not know the exact measure of what is considered 'worthy' by the enchantment my father placed on it." He postulated that it involved the willingness to sacrifice one's life. It took a huge amount of courage to be willing to make that kind of sacrifice.

He tossed the Mjolnir midair as if performing a trick for them—in a way, he was—and settled it atop the low table in front of him. He grinned at Klaus's remark in regards to the table's worthiness.

"Now let's see which of you children are deemed worthy by the Mjolnir."

There was debate on who should try it first until two or three of them decided to work together. Five didn't bother with it but was estimating who have better chances among them, and Luther, the one with superstrength, was his first pick. Allison was being rather creative by talking to the hammer, and Ben was debating whether it was worth the risk to summon one of his creatures. Diego seemed bummed while Klaus laughed at their failed attempts. Vanya quietly watched them until she was invited, too, to the fray.

"Pretty sure you'll make them sad once you leave. You know, when kids lost their cool _tio_," Anthony said when Thor told him he would be leaving on the same evening. The Man of Iron peered past Thor's shoulders and watched the children scrutinizing Mjolnir. "Why haven't the Avengers done that before?"

"We could, next time," Thor suggested. "I'm interested to see how you and the others will fare." He turned back to the clamoring children who had gotten into a mild dispute amongst themselves. "None of them, I see."

"Cut them some slack, big guy. They're kids. When I was that age, my top priority was getting into a hot math teacher's pants," Anthony said.

Thor nodded thoughtfully. Age could be a factor in relation to principles and values possessed by an individual. Somebody young was typically filled with a noble idealism and altruistic tendencies, and then they mature and open their eyes to reality.

"You might want to cut down the B&J," Anthony abruptly said, gesturing at the cold treat Thor was eating from absently. "I'll happily supply you for a lifetime; at least, my lifetime, but we don't want to lose the—" He rubbed on his abdomen. "Shape."

"I'm honored by your concern, but it is uncalled for." Thor relished the last scoop of the treat. "Give my thanks to this Ben and Jerry."

Anthony waved his hand, his attention landing back to the children. "I'm not breaking any space laws for taking them in, you said."

"Not that I know of," he said. "I am certain, though, that you won't care if you are." Thor knowingly glanced at him.

"Damn right, I don't." Unless it involved jeopardizing the lives of many. Thor didn't have to hear it. Anthony might appear frivolous, but he was a protector of Midgard just as any of the Avengers.

"They are fortunate that it was you who took them in. They need you to depend on."

"I'm not sure about the depending part, but I'm glad that I called dibs on them." Anthony's features softened around the eyes. Thor looked away to avoid pointing it out. "Well, thanks for the vote of confidence anyway. First to think I won't fuck this up."

"You're a good man," Thor said confidently. "And I trust that you'll do right by them. From what I've heard, you're treating each of them equally, and it's a right approach. Be their listener whenever they need one and they'll be even more grateful. Don't let any of them feel neglected."

"That from experience?" Anthony asked, feigning nonchalance though it wasn't hard to miss the way he crossed his arms with a fidget.

Thor was reminded of Loki and his claims of growing up to his older brother's shadow, and Thor thought of the numerous times that he casted Loki aside and bullied him with the privileges of a firstborn son. It was hardly a close example, but it was always the simple things that made

"I wish," he replied and smiled a little sadly.

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

I took a stab on Mordo's starting year of training so I just made him a fresh student by 2012.


	14. The Ballroom Blitz

Took me a month to write this, huh.

Chapter title is from the same song title by Sweet

* * *

**Tony**

He didn't bother hiding his yawn when he saw who it was.

"Why good morning to you too," Nicky Fury said, seemingly in his element with a cup at hand and legs crossed atop the coffee table.

"We don't serve free coffee here, by the way."

It was too early for Tony to deal with a smug Fury. And a smug Nick wasn't good news.

"Nice of you two to remind me I should regret giving you an entry pass," Tony said to Clint. Nat was standing by the window, amused at his reaction.

"Hey, Nat. Been waiting long?" Tony was aware that he was completely disregarding Nick and Clint. A pretty girl over them, Tony would say.

"Not really," Natasha said, humoring him. "We're patient." She glanced briefly past Tony, to Fury. "We're here for something important, after all." There was an apple on her hand now, playing with it and then taking a bite.

"Goody." Tony ambled over his storage of liquors and considered, for a moment, of taking a huge gulp and risking Pepper's scolding and disappointment later.

Wasn't worth it.

"I assume this concerns the kiddos," Tony began, sitting opposite Nick in a laidback manner. He wasn't about to feel out of place of his own tower.

"Just on the matter of their legal guardianship."

"And yet you sent them to their rooms and told them to lock up when the adults talk. Shouldn't they be here for this? I'd like them to be," Tony said a little loudly, enough for Jarvis to register it as a command.

"Not necessarily." Nick adjusted himself and leaned over, placing a folder down. "These are simply papers that you have to sign, naming you as their legal guardians. Then we're done."

Tony didn't make a move to touch the folder. "No S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that can pose as a glorified courier?" He looked up to Fury. "Unless that's you."

Nick leveled him with a flat stare. "A week should have been long enough to make a decision on what you want to do with them, and I see that you warmed them to the team. You're training them to function as a team reserve."

"In some years maybe." Tony shrugged noncommittally. "Not for me to decide."

"Ah, but hard for them to drop the superhero lifestyle. They're kids, and more than anything they want the attention to them and their abilities." Nick let out a laugh behind his cup. "Well, they landed on the most fitting guardian."

"Why thank you. I don't think they deserve to be in some rank, off-the-books facility S.H.I.E.L.D. owns either. Seems like we share the same concern."

"A shame, Stark. We could have utilized them properly for what they are."

"I don't know about that, Nicky. They're thirteen."

"Better start early." Nick sent a nod to Nat. "She did at six."

"As a professional killer. No offense, Nat."

"None taken," Natasha replied, her smile perfect and with a glint of danger. Right. Sensitive topic.

Tony reached over for the folder and idly skimmed over the fine prints. So far Nick was clueless. "So, care to enlighten me what really this is all about? You're not here for simple delivery of papers unless you are being a dick and woke me up for this alone, which, hey, I admit highly likely."

"I'll be direct: make your _guests _public."

"Oh, you want me to claim I suddenly have my hands on seven children, is that it? Done. I'll say I'm officially adopting them with my lovely and wonderful girlfriend." About time he killed the rumor of his former playboy lifestyle. For Pepper's sake too.

"I don't doubt that you will, with or without my pressure. But can you tell the world what they are and where they came from?" Nick folded his hands.

Tony wasn't liking where Fury was going with this. "That bit can be left out. No harm no foul."

"Sometime before, probably. Certainly not nowadays, not after the invasion. The people deserve to know what lives among them. We owe them that."

Basically, he was asking for the kids to be persecuted. Trust Fury to consider them anything but humans. Jesus, this guy needed to hear the real story, but Tony didn't think Fury deserved to know. Besides, it wasn't his to tell.

"However," Fury continued. "I've given it a thought, and I want to share it with you. There's a way to assimilate them into the current society of this world. I don't guarantee that they'll begin with complete acceptance, but sooner or later the people will move on."

Tony would regret later that he had the children hear and watch for themselves this meeting, but he firmly kept in mind that they deserved to witness this.

"Alright, shoot."

* * *

**Five**

He turned up the volume of the live feed. He was on edged, unable to tear away his eyes from the hidden monitor in the kitchen that Jarvis revealed for them. Stark must have triggered it subtly with voice activation in the middle of his conversation with the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director. Five was mildly impressed.

"_You have these children with powers and eager to prove themselves. This country already has the Avengers as one of its special defense team, why not place these kids in fields they could serve better?_

"_You have a boy with super strength, another who can expertly throw knives, a girl with the power of persuasion—trump cards among the security and intelligence agencies, bureau of investigations, and the police force, training with them. Tell me why they won't love them._

"_This city didn't believe aliens until recently. Nobody will be surprised anymore if you tell them ghosts are real. Now imagine the cold cases you can finally crack with a legitimate medium."_

Five heard him chuckle through the speakers.

"_That kid who knows what his doing with his teleportation ability coupled with his rudimentary knowledge in arms? I can see past the attitude, and I'm telling you, I'd like that to be my agent one day._

"_And two heavy-hitters as reserves you can spring out to unsuspecting oppositions? An element of surprise and massive destructive force. Interesting elements to have on your side, don't you think?"_

Five glanced at his siblings and, as expected, their expressions varied.

There was unrest in Luther and suspicion and hostility in Diego. They both knew the Director wanted the seven of them right where he wanted them to be: under his extensive eyes and under his thumbs.

Allison and Klaus both wore curiosity amidst their wariness. While Allison was meaning to put his ability away from her lifestyle, like Klaus, she was also searching for some way to transform her capabilities that would benefit rather than feed on the destructive habits they both formed to cope.

Ben sat sedately on Five's bed, absently scratching the cat's head wherein it murmured appreciatively. The Director's plan for him wasn't much different compared to Reginald's. They both wanted him for his powers and nothing else, not even Ben's collectedness in the face of danger nor his resilience to reign his creatures in, and nor his more versatile wits and intelligence second only to Five.

Vanya looked apprehensive. While Reginald had kept her powers locked away and had let the pressure of it oppressed Vanya, there was the Director who wanted her to use it for all it was, that when introduced to a delicate balance would produce a beautiful mix of chaos and art. Five knew that she was worried about her present state, and at the same time couldn't help but think of the hopeful future, of one day once she successfully controlled it. It would be her chance to help with her abilities, a form of redemption, for her, from when she destroyed their Earth.

If Five didn't know better, he would have thought the Director had looked into their minds and learned their inner workings and repressed self-conflicts.

Or perhaps they weren't acting so much to keep up appearances and were in fact with EQs closer to their present physical age.

Emotionally stunted indeed.

Someone edged beside Five, and to his surprise it was Luther.

"I know you don't want to play by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, but I have to admit that they thought this through." He nodded to the Director on the screen. "Just when I thought we'll hardly be seeing him around."

Five supposed he thought of that too after a week of mundane routine outside of training. It must have been the Director's intention to lull them in a false sense of security within Stark's tower and around Stark's overwhelming status that was seemingly impenetrable by outside forces, namely S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority.

"Me too," Five begrudgingly admitted.

In the live feed of Stark's and the Director's meeting, there was a sudden chime and a monitor pulling up close to the liquor cabinet. Five couldn't make out what was being displayed there but the audio told of flash news.

_Young sirs and ladies, may I interest you with the same news? _Jarvis interrupted, to their perplexity.

Before anyone could reply, the television installed in Five's room—an appliance he was yet to turn on even once—opened and showed the same news channel.

"_We're here live in National Bank where a robbery is reported to be underway in the last hour. The police are yet to receive demands, and the exact number of hostages is yet to be determined…"_

This felt like déjà vu, Five realized. When his eyes connected with Luther, an understanding, which was, frankly, a first, passed between them.

"I have an idea, but I can't promise that it won't sound ridiculous," Luther said first before Five could call him out on it.

Five found it darkly amusing, really, that Luther was self-aware. He would have mocked him for it if Five wasn't thinking of the very same thing.

"Do your worst," he muttered.

* * *

**Klaus**

"So can you tell me how many are there?" Klaus asked the well-dressed man after a while.

The man turned out to be a professional; at least, once he got over his shock. "Eight men at the ground floor and eight upstairs, acting crowd control, they said. There are four more where the vault is. Those four got another three people with them, by the way, as personnel since the vault supposedly required three security passes… I think."

"Oh, thanks, mister. That helps." Klaus saluted him.

The ghost stared at him and blinked. "Helps what?"

"The rescue mission."

"Rescue? Oh, a part of your role?"

Klaus tilted his head in confusion. This ghost was talking a bit odd. A glance on the side of his head confirmed that he hit it, hard, which was probably the cause of his instantaneous death. Poor man.

He thanked him for the information anyway, springing on his steps as he returned to where his siblings were huddled to form a plan.

Klaus was fortunate to encounter a cooperative soul immediately.

* * *

**Ben**

"I'll stay by the front if you don't mind," he volunteered in a hushed voice.

Ben thought that Stark would also get in trouble if he ended up killing a human, a robber or otherwise. Besides, he could do better as a lookout.

"Me too," he heard Vanya spoke behind him. "I don't think we should risk my control, with the number of civilians in."

Ever so reasonable. Ben grinned at her.

"Seems like we're stuck together as lookouts," he whispered to her as they slipped out of their makeshift HQ, a rather spacious and empty toilet room where they first landed in a groaning heap.

* * *

**Vanya**

It was the first time she had been inside the 'fray', as she called it before many years ago of watching from afar through the binoculars with Dad beside her.

There were several things happening within the fray: bodies and knives were thrown aside from punches, staplers that suddenly appeared in the hands in replacement for guns, lies were given to ease anxieties, a lookout designation for the person deemed the less helpful but needed to be in standby nonetheless. Things like those.

It wasn't ideal for her to be placed in the middle of the fray else foes and allies alike could fall victim to her abrupt lashing of power. Therefore, she took the least involved position in the fray: the lookout.

She shouldn't feel the thrill of it, but she did anyway.

She now occupied Klaus's previous position in the team, and she wondered, briefly, if how, a person like Klaus who wasn't the kind to put himself in the frontlines compared to her other brothers, would handle his newfound status in the group. Klaus simply gave her a thumbs up as his way of giving his blessing. Vanya knew then that he would be fine.

* * *

**Luther**

"Diego and Klaus for the ground floor. We have to take it first so we can clear the way to the exits. There's the front and then the back. Opening the front will cause enough noise that will draw even the attention of those upstairs. Doesn't matter, by then Luther and I will keep them occupied." Five nodded to Luther. "I'll take you with me up there, and it'll be disorienting for a few seconds."

"Are you sure you can be precise?" Luther asked. Five normally couldn't travel with a companion, and Luther believed that Five remained strained in some way from their hasty escape from their Earth.

"Positive," Five affirmed.

Luther didn't miss the brief hesitation that flashed Five's face. While Luther wasn't the kind to take any amount of doubt, inexplicably, it was Five's doubt itself that assured Luther that they would make it.

* * *

**Diego**

"Are you going to be fine?" Diego asked in probably the third time in a span of five minutes.

Klaus rolled his eyes, probably counting it for himself. "I am."

"I mean…"

"Yeah, yeah. How is the former lookout going to handle himself without Ben's ghost, right? I'm not going to be helpless, Diego." Klaus was thoughtful for a second. "Actually, better if you can snatch me a gun first. Not picky on what kind, just make sure I can carry it."

"A gun?" Diego repeated. "Forgive me if I'm hesitant."

"Oh, hush, dear. I'll have you know that I got a bit of training."

"What training?" Reginald didn't even let them handle one back then. "Escapades with armed junkies aren't considered training, Klaus."

"I'm not going to be offended because the situation is dire, Diego." Klaus stretched. "Must have forgotten to tell you my time in Nam. Remind me to tell you later."

Diego was going to assume that it was Klaus's nerves talking. He reached for a knife and handed it to Klaus. "Here. Stab them with the pointy end and miss the vitals."

Klaus snorted but took the knife anyway.

* * *

**Allison **

The same lines of tension were not only present with Five but also with Luther.

She understood the implication and was aware of the source. It wasn't the current situation they hurried in without so much of a concrete plan but rather what would come afterward. They would stride outside and line up not unlike when Dad introduced them, sans Vanya, to the world. There would be drastic differences like the mass knowing their real names and faces after Five decided for them that they shouldn't bother with masks and the fact that people would grill on their origin. Allison left the worry at the back of her mind for the meantime.

She crossed her fingers, hoping that when Pepper saw the news, the reprimand wasn't the one waiting for them at the tower.

* * *

**Klaus **

He heard Diego curse when his knives were deflected.

They were behind a marble column that absorbed the bullets rained on them—the two boys who came out of nowhere sneaked behind them, as the robbers dubbed him and Diego, yelling among each other.

Diego managed a grateful look amidst his pinched expression. Klaus ducked them just in time for Diego to realize that his knives might be useless when hitting head-on rounds of larger caliber. Klaus knew little about guns aside from the standard firearms he handled in Vietnam, but he was pretty sure at least one of the men's arms looked peculiar.

"Should have whisked me a gun first thing," Klaus grumbled petulantly.

"Now's not the time, Klaus." Diego pressed his shoulder against Klaus's further.

At his urgent sweep of their surroundings, Klaus's eyes managed to catch a glimmering object on the floor a good distance away from his and Diego's location. There was a clerk nearby it and met Klaus's gaze in an openmouthed shock upon seeing who triggered the robbers.

_What the fuck? Kids? _Klaus could read the guy's lips.

_Sorry, _Klaus mouthed back, almost sheepish. _Hey, can you kick that over here?_

_What? _The guy remained incredulous.

Klaus pointed at the small handgun by the clerk's foot and made a kicking gesture with his own foot.

_Are you insane?!_

Klaus made a wavy hand gesture that said fifty-fifty.

"What the hell are you doing?" Diego hissed.

"I'm asking the guy over there to kick the gun over here if he's not going to use it."

Diego glanced between them in utter irritation until a bullet was able to whip past the clerk's terrified face. For the man's safety, Diego decided to shout at the clerk to kick the gun across the floor.

The clerk was too stupefied to argue and did it.

Eight bullets, Klaus checked. Good fit for his current small hands and unusually lighter than normal. He waited for the short reload period by their, ah, adversaries and moved out—more out of impulse, to be honest—of their mildly secure location to target a wrist, an ankle, a shoulder, a thigh, and an elbow which he merely grazed due to erroneous angle estimation. There were three misses in total before he was behind the distant column next to where Diego was.

Diego looked at him as if he wasn't sure whether to be impressed or not. _Holy shit, _he mouthed.

Klaus jerked his head to point at the remaining three. Diego didn't need any prompting and took the chance while the men were stunned by a thirteen-year-old with a gun and deft right hand.

That unexpected trip to Vietnam turned out to be useful in situations like this.

* * *

**Five**

Luther tackled two people down once they jumped, knocking them over with ease.

The element of surprise was effective to up to two people when the numbers should be more than that, Five analyzed as he wrenched away a sophisticated-looking weapon that one of them have. It was quite heavy for battering and proved to be effective when he landed a single blow at the back of another man's head.

Four down.

Five was momentarily distracted by the ugly crunching sound. He turned to Luther, finding him on his knees with a broken nose.

Five jumped and kicked the gut of the one that crept behind Luther as he stood.

"Something's wrong," Luther murmured, fixing his nose.

"You don't say." Five spared him a glance. "Later."

Luther was known for his tenacity, and it wasn't often that he was brought down by force. A spark flashed in his eyes as he shouldered another man and knocked him heavily against the wall.

Five dodged an oncoming hit to his neck, though his shin caught a wallop that he _felt_. He winced at the peculiar sensation of the strike that was akin to mild electrocution.

He ducked the kick intended for his torso and stepped back in a stance.

The man lunged to him, and Five risked it, catching him by his leg and pulled before he released and slipped back to a portal. The move put the man out of balance, and Five appeared behind him, giving him a cracking punch.

Luther was at the other end of the hall, nudging with his foot to check anybody who might be conscious still. Five leaned down to the man he previously put down and tugged on his boot and a kneepad. He gave them a quick glance over. They appeared to be ordinary tactical gear—stolen, maybe—but with added circuitry underneath. Five pressed behind a bit and was briefly rewarded with crackling electricity.

"Let me guess, this one kneed you on the face," he said once Luther came over to him.

"Can't say for sure, but yes, it was one hell of a hit." Luther raised an eyebrow. "Modified, huh."

It wasn't about completely about robbing then. Bold of these men to take the opportunity to test experimental gears and weapons—although, it wasn't so much of the latter, now that he thought about it, relying mostly on their close quarter combat skills that were higher than that of typical goons given with arms.

Luther picked up one and frowned. He looked at Five, the same kind of confusion written on his features.

* * *

**Allison**

For all the noise from upstairs and the ground floor, nobody from the remaining four men came up from below the vaults.

Luther and Five went down, and the former wasted to time to pry the heavy and dented front door slightly open, allowing two people at once to exit.

Allison frowned, baffled as to what could have dented the front doors from inside.

Civilians calmly milled to the entrance without any prompting from Allison. It helped that there were no children, but the almost lack of anxiety from the victims was concerning.

Allison couldn't put a finger on what was wrong, though she noticed it earlier when Klaus and Diego were hounded with bullets. The civilians were awfully restful and attentive during the whole ordeal. It wasn't normal, she concluded since then behind the mahogany counter she had hidden in.

Then there were these robbers who clustered together in one place and as if purposefully missing their shots.

"There are four more, right?" Ben said beside her, closely followed by Vanya. "Shall we?"

"Wait," she called. "There's something wrong."

"What is?" Vanya asked.

"This," she gestured around her, "feels… fake." Allison used the best word she could think of to describe it.

Ben considered her words. "There must be a good reason for you to think that way, but we can't be a hundred percent sure with three more hostages below. It does seem odd that nobody from down there heard what happened here, but they must be further below."

She hummed thoughtfully. Point taken.

"There's only one way to find out," Vanya said.

The elevator ride was filled with anticipation and musing as to what was going on. All of these were reminiscent of a staged scene, Allison realized the more she dwelled on it. But if so, to what end?

The elevator chime was a tad loud, in her opinion, and a dead giveaway if they were trying for a stealthy approach. Somehow, she expected the four men in standby when the elevator opened.

"Don't move," one of them warned in a muffled voice. Allison got the impression that it was a woman.

Ben raised his hands, bummed, while Vanya did the same meekly. This close, they couldn't unleash their powers without fatally harming them. The no killing rule must have been like treading on eggshells while balancing an egg on their noses for the two. Allison sort of felt bad that this was the first mission Vanya became part of.

She heaved a sigh. Might as well use the time to practice something. "I heard a rumor that you dropped your gun and fell asleep deeply."

Four bodies dropped on the floor, snoring.

"Oh, I thought me and Vanya will do the same." Ben whistled. "You're improving."

"I guess so," Allison allowed a smile. She wasn't really sure if it was possible to divert her intent to more than one person. "I'll tell you about it later," she promised.

They came across two men and a woman who were gagged and with their hands tied on their backs. Vanya and Ben helped them out of their bonds and told them that they were free to go.

Allison lagged behind the female. She tapped her on her arm and whispered:

"I heard a rumor that you told me the whole truth of what's going on."

The woman did as the rest went on ahead.

* * *

**Fury**

"Interfere and you'll make the local police force look incompetent," he warned when he saw Stark about to make a break for it.

"Relax. I'm not about to make an arrest."

"No, but you're going to beat some bad guys, is that it? Ah, yes, because the Avengers got a license to beat any criminal, a price for their efforts in the invasion. It's not something that will appeal to them, Stark, whether you saved them recently or not."

That halted Stark as he began walking away. He squinted his eyes at Fury, musing.

"I think I have an idea of what you're going for here. You waltz in after Pepper's one-week day off and waited for Thor to leave because you won't be able to explain to him properly the intricacies of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt of keeping affairs in order without losing your control over them—and you'd rather not have an angry god at your hands; you sent Rogers to some off-coast mission of sorts, and you never bothered with Bruce since he wouldn't interfere anyway. Then there's Nat and Clint as your lackeys. Which leaves me. News flash, Nick, I never am easy to talk to."

As expected, Stark hit close to home. Fury remained unperturbed. "I'm banking on that. You do love to expound what should have been a mere 'yes' or 'no'."

Stark frowned, crossing his arms defensively. Oh, no, he wouldn't leave without Fury elaborating on that.

While Stark was known to function with impulses, there were a couple of aspects of him that were predictable.

Fury nodded at the screen of the ongoing bank robbery and realization dawned on Stark's face.

"You didn't," Stark said, his voice low and bordering threatening.

A minute after Stark's departure, Barton peered outside. "And off he goes," he muttered.

"Agent Romanoff, pull the men out. Showtime's over."

By next morning, Fury expected two things: the public to know seven children with special abilities and reports on his desk whether how S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new and customized equipment held up.

He left a folder on the coffee table. Stark still needed to sign the documents, and with the drastic turn of events, the process should be quick.

So far, all was going according to plan.

* * *

**Tony**

He arrived too late to keep the flashes of cameras away from the children's uncovered faces. If anything, the numbers doubled at his entrance.

Iron Man kept up appearances and waved. When the helmet opened to reveal Tony Stark's face, however, his expression was far from impressed when he addressed the kids.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**TBC**


End file.
